(Bloomberg) — Iran’s insistence on an immediate lifting of United Nations sanctions is a main obstacle to securing a framework agreement on its disputed nuclear program by March 31, five European and U.S. diplomats said.
The Western powers negotiating with Iran have proposed lifting UN sanctions in four to six years, according to the officials who asked not to be named, in line with diplomatic rules. Some sanctions may remain in place for as long as a decade, they said.
The Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, is expected to offer fresh proposals when he arrives on Sunday morning, according to two people involved in the talks.
Talks between the Persian Gulf nation, which holds the world’s fourth-largest oil reserves, and six world powers continued Saturday for a fourth day in Lausanne, Switzerland. The sides are in danger of missing a self-imposed end-of-March deadline needed to set up a comprehensive deal by July 1.
Iran continues to insist that all sanctions must be lifted once it agrees to place curbs on its nuclear activities. The UN Security Council, the U.S. Treasury Department and the European Union have all levied economic sanctions on the country over its nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters on Saturday that while headway had been made on sanctions relief, there was more to do.
The European and U.S. approach focuses on first suspending and then permanently removing sanctions over the lifetime of a deal. Oil sanctions could be lifted within months of an agreement if Iran agrees on a deal that limits its nuclear capacity and allows for broader international verification, one European diplomat said.
By contrast, Iran wants UN Security Council sanctions lifted immediately.