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               High-level Push Continues Toward Iran Nuclear Deal

   by Mary Alice Salinas

   The high-level diplomatic efforts to finally seal a comprehensive
   international agreement on Iran's nuclear program continued on several
   fronts Thursday in Vienna with one day left before their newest, and
   perhaps final, self-imposed deadline.

   A senior U.S. State Department official said Secretary of State John
   Kerry spoke by phone with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi early on
   Thursday to discuss the latest in the negotiations.

   That followed his dinner meeting Wednesday night with German Foreign
   Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who along with French Foreign
   Minister Laurent Fabius returned to Vienna after leaving the site of
   the talks. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters
   Thursday he too planned to fly back to Vienna.

   A U.S. source close to the talks told VOA that all of the foreign
   ministers do not have to be physically present to seal an agreement,
   but that the source would "imagine they would want to be."

   The so-called P5+1 group that includes the U.S., Britain, China,
   France, Russia and Germany held their own talks Thursday morning that
   included Kerry, Fabius and Steinmeier, British Foreign Secretary
   Phillip Hammond as well as European Union foreign policy chief Federica
   Mogherini and her deputy Helga Schmid.

   State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said President Barack Obama
   spoke to Kerry and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz after Wednesday's
   meetings, which included Moniz talking with Iranian nuclear chief Ali
   Akbar Salehi for nearly three hours. Harf said the president reviewed
   the progress of the negotiations and "provided guidance" on reaching a
   "good deal."

   Also Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country is
   preparing for a "post-sanctions" era, referring to the goal of reaching
   a deal that gives Iran relief from damaging economic sanctions in
   return for limiting its nuclear activity.

   The two sides entered the week with a Tuesday deadline, but agreed to
   push that back until Friday.

   A western diplomat said late Tuesday that the negotiations are not
   "open ended," and had been extended for the last time.  Iran's chief
   negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said the process
   would continue "as long as it is necessary.

   The agreement between Iran and the six powers would cut Iran's uranium
   enrichment program to keep it from being able to build a nuclear
   weapon. Sanctions that have wrecked the Iranian economy would be eased
   and eventually lifted.

   But Iran is balking at Western demands for inspections of its military
   sites to verify it is living up to the deal. Iran also is now demanding
   the end to a U.N. embargo on conventional military weapons sales to
   Tehran.

   Chris Hannas contributed to this report.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/high-level-push-continues-toward-iran-nuclear-deal/2854678.html