Azernews.Az

By Bloomberg

Iran is pushing to accelerate U.S. and European sanctions relief with just four days left to resolve nuclear talks in Vienna, according to four diplomats from countries participating in negotiations.

Negotiators haven’t yet agreed on the scale and speed of sanctions relief, nor have they settled on the corresponding steps Iran must take, the officials said, asking not to be named in line with rules. One of the diplomats said Iran may be set to see substantial sanctions relief by December, while others said sanctions are unlikely to be eased before 2016.

The Iranians’ demand for a faster lifting of sanctions is feasible if they’re determined to enact their side of the bargain, the officials said. The Islamic Republic needs to implement wider monitoring protocols, dismantle two-thirds of its nuclear capacity and eliminate 97 percent of its enriched uranium.

The six world powers negotiating with Iran in the Austrian capital have extended their deadline to reach an accord to July 7 after almost two years of talks. All sides say the current round has yielded progress.

Iran, holder of the world’s No. 4 oil and No. 1 natural-gas reserves, needs the agreement to lift trade and financial sanctions that have severely damaged its economy. U.S. President Barack Obama, who has to overcome the objections of skeptics, has said he’d reject a deal that wasn’t good enough.

In a sign of their determination, negotiators worked overnight until 3:00 a.m. Friday in Vienna, according to officials at the talks. Foreign ministers will begin to reconvene in Vienna Sunday to try and hammer out the final sticking points separating the six world powers from concluding a nuclear agreement with Iran.