Azernews.Az

Bloomberg

The expected departure from nuclear talks in Vienna of top U.S. and Iranian diplomats for further briefings signals the sides are regrouping for one last attempt at sealing an agreement before a looming deadline.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will return to Paris after a stay of about 24 hours in the Austrian capital, according to his spokeswoman, Jen Psaki. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif “will probably” return home for consultations with the nation’s leaders, the state-run IRNA news agency reported, citing an unnamed diplomat.

After more than a year of talks, world powers and Iran have just over three days to determine whether they can agree terms on a comprehensive accord limiting the Islamic Republic’s nuclear work in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. If they don’t reach a deal by Nov. 24, they may extend talks even as opponents of the negotiations in both Iran and the U.S. threaten to derail the process.

Kerry is returning to Paris “for consultations with his European counterparts,” Psaki said. “His future travel schedule is still being finalized, and we have not yet determined when he will return to Vienna.”

Lower-level officials will stay behind to continue drafting the text of a possible agreement. Their draft contains a four-or five-page introduction followed by 30 to 40 pages of details outlining the accord, according to a senior Iranian diplomat cited yesterday by the Islamic Student news Agency.

Zarif’s trip to Tehran “might signify an unforeseen development that has completely altered the calculus and would require a high-level political decision for readjusting Iran’s strategy,” said the International Crisis Group’s Ali Vaez, who met the minister earlier this week.

Gaps Remain

Kerry today held talks with European Union envoy Catherine Ashton and Zarif before breaking to consult with his French and U.K. counterparts, Laurent Fabius and Phillip Hammond. Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was also expected to travel to Vienna, according to his spokesman. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi haven’t indicated whether they’ll attend.

While negotiators have said they remained focused on meeting their self-imposed deadline, four Western diplomats said yesterday that an extension to the talks may be needed. The two biggest issues separating the sides remain the number and type of centrifuges Iran would be permitted to operate and the pace of sanctions relief, they said.