BEIJING (AP) Nov. 10, 2014 — Two days of tough talks to limit Iran’s nuclear program failed Monday to make major headway toward a final deal —a foreboding sign for years of negotiations that are set to expire in less than two weeks.
U.S. officials resisted describing how much — or how little — progress was made during the high-level discussions in Oman among Secretary of State John Kerry, European Union policy adviser Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
But they said concerns remain about what Kerry described before the meetings as “real gaps” between world powers and Tehran, despite grueling hours spent trying to clear the path for an agreement.
The Oman talks were widely seen as a sort of predictor for the outcome Nov. 24, when the negotiations expire.
Two senior State Department officials traveling with Kerry described the meetings as “tough, direct and serious”… But the two sides are not yet there.
One of the State Department officials said it’s “self-evident” there’s still work to be done before a compromise can be reached. The officials noted that Kerry extended his stay in Oman by several hours to continue the discussions. “I’m not indicating that progress was made in any way,” the official said.
Kerry headed out to Beijing, to join President Barack Obama and National Security Adviser Susan Rice at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit Tuesday afternoon.
The State Department officials said Kerry plans to brief Obama and Rice about the discussions in Oman. “A lot will be determined there, in terms of next steps for us,” the second State Department official told reporters traveling with Kerry.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be identified while briefing reporters.
Iranian negotiators remained in Muscat, the Omani capital, where lower-level meetings were expected to continue Tuesday with officials from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, the U.S and the EU. All teams will meet again Nov. 18 in Vienna for a days-long, last-ditch attempt to clench an agreement.
Citing reports that a deal is close at hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced he would ask the negotiators’ top diplomats to resist any agreement that would allow Iran to become a nuclear power.