A deal that would give Iran limited relief from economic sanctions in exchange for a temporary freeze of some of its nuclear activities was near completion late Thursday, and Secretary of State John F. Kerry was preparing to fly to Geneva Friday morning for a likely announcement.
Kerry, who has been traveling in the Middle East for the past week, will hold a trilateral meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to “help narrow the differences, “ according to Kerry spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who said that Ashton had asked him to come. A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity about the fast-moving events, said that Kerry has been open to joining the Geneva talks since they began last month if his presence was helpful.
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For the first time in 34 years, top elected officials in the U.S. and Iran are talking. Meanwhile, Americans are increasingly curious about Iran. The Washington Post’s Tehran Correspondent Jason Rezaian says daily life in Iran is a mix of traditional and modern.
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A pause in uranium enrichment would result in temporary, modest relief from some sanctions against Iran.
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French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also plans to travel to Geneva, according to official sources quoted by Agence France Presse. Other P5+1 governments have not yet indicated whether their foreign ministers will attend for the announcement of the phased plan, which would include the most significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear facilities in nearly a decade.
An agreement, which U.S. officials described as a “first step” in a comprehensive pact restricting Tehran’s ability to seek atomic weapons, could herald a significant shift in U.S.-Iranian relations after years of enmity.
In the midst of a round of shuttle diplomacy between Israel and the Palestinians, Kerry spent Thursday night in Amman, Jordan, where he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. En route to Geneva Friday morning, he stopped at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv for a third meeting in as many days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In an interview with The Washington Post on Thursday, Netanyahu blasted the U.S.-backed proposal as “a monumental mistake.”
“There’s no earthly reason to do this,” he said. “Not only the force of the existing sanctions but the threat of the future sanctions was the great impetus on the mind of Khamenei, and now they could just take that away.” He was referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who holds ultimate political and religious authority in the country.
Speaking to reporters Friday morning before his meeting with Kerry, Netanyahu said he understood “the Iranians are walking around very satisfied in Geneva, as well they should be, because they got everything and paid nothing. Everything they wanted. They wanted relief of sanctions after years of a grueling sanctions regime. They got that. They are paying nothing because they are not reducing in any way their nuclear enrichment capability .
Kerry, who has been traveling in the Middle East for the past week, will hold a trilateral meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to “help narrow the differences, “ according to Kerry spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who said that Ashton had asked him to come. A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity about the fast-moving events, said that Kerry has been open to joining the Geneva talks since they began last month if his presence was helpful.
Video
For the first time in 34 years, top elected officials in the U.S. and Iran are talking. Meanwhile, Americans are increasingly curious about Iran. The Washington Post’s Tehran Correspondent Jason Rezaian says daily life in Iran is a mix of traditional and modern.
Latest from National Security
Joby Warrick and William Booth A pause in uranium enrichment would result in temporary, modest relief from some sanctions against Iran.
Craig Whitlock
Prosecutors say the Malaysian man received information about contracts and law-enforcement probes.
Mark Hosenball and Warren Strobel
The former contractor told co-workers he needed log-in credentials to do his computer work, sources say.
Full coverage of the revelations and debate surrounding National Security Agency surveillance programs.French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also plans to travel to Geneva, according to official sources quoted by Agence France Presse. Other P5+1 governments have not yet indicated whether their foreign ministers will attend for the announcement of the phased plan, which would include the most significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear facilities in nearly a decade.
An agreement, which U.S. officials described as a “first step” in a comprehensive pact restricting Tehran’s ability to seek atomic weapons, could herald a significant shift in U.S.-Iranian relations after years of enmity.
In the midst of a round of shuttle diplomacy between Israel and the Palestinians, Kerry spent Thursday night in Amman, Jordan, where he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. En route to Geneva Friday morning, he stopped at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv for a third meeting in as many days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In an interview with The Washington Post on Thursday, Netanyahu blasted the U.S.-backed proposal as “a monumental mistake.”
“There’s no earthly reason to do this,” he said. “Not only the force of the existing sanctions but the threat of the future sanctions was the great impetus on the mind of Khamenei, and now they could just take that away.” He was referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who holds ultimate political and religious authority in the country.
Speaking to reporters Friday morning before his meeting with Kerry, Netanyahu said he understood “the Iranians are walking around very satisfied in Geneva, as well they should be, because they got everything and paid nothing. Everything they wanted. They wanted relief of sanctions after years of a grueling sanctions regime. They got that. They are paying nothing because they are not reducing in any way their nuclear enrichment capability .