Iran Nuclear Talks Continue Past Deadline With No Deal in Sight
US negotiators continue as pressure increases for a deal.
— -- More than 24 hours after the deadline expired, negotiators in Lausanne, Switzerland, have yet to produce any sort of agreement on how to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for economic sanctions relief.
According to State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf, the negotiations will resume following an all-night negotiation session.
Earlier, Harf issued a brief statement indicating that Secretary of State John Kerry would remain overnight and continue the talks into Thursday. “We continue to make progress but have not reached a political understanding,” Harf said. “Therefore, Secretary Kerry will remain in Lausanne until at least Thursday morning to continue the negotiations.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif emerged briefly from the marathon meetings, seeming agitated with the US approach. "Our friends need to decide whether they want to be with Iran based on respect or whether they want to continue based on pressure," Zarif said.
Meanwhile, critics of the deal are starting to make their voices heard. House Speaker John Boehner made a surprise visit to Israel, where he met with President Benjamin Netanyahu. At a press conference Netanyahu said “the concessions offered to Iran in Lausanne would ensure a bad deal that would endanger Israel, the Middle East and the peace of the world.”
Back in the U.S., Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, author of the now infamous letter to the Ayatollah, is criticizing the White House for letting the deadline slide. “The fact that the president is wanting to go back on his own words just a few week ago and extend past the March 31st deadline, sends a signal of weakness to the Iranians,” Cotton told Fox News.