Talks between Iran and six world powers on the future of Tehran's nuclear program resumed in Switzerland Wednesday after missing a deadline to produce the framework of a permanent agreement.
Secretary of State John Kerry, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Lausanne early Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Their French, Russian, and Chinese counterparts had all left overnight, leaving their deputies in charge. It was not immediately clear what effect their departures would have on negotiations.
Tuesday's talks had stretched into Wednesday morning local time before negotiators broke up, promising to meet a few hours later. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said earlier Tuesday that that enough progress had been made over six days of intense bartering to warrant an extension of the self-imposed deadline, though she noted "there are several difficult issues still remaining."
The deadline to agree on the outline of a permanent deal had already been extended twice before Tuesday, and it was not clear what would happen if an agreement was not reached by the end of Wednesday. The deadline for all the details of a comprehensive agreement to be settled is the end of June.
As the talks broke up late Tuesday, Zarif said that solutions to many of the problems had been found and that documents attesting to that would soon be drafted. That sentiment was echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was quoted by Russia's TASS news agency as saying that "all key aspects" of a potential deal had been agreed upon.
"I'm optimistic that we will make further progress this morning but it does mean the Iranians being willing to meet us where there are still issues to deal with," Hammond told British reporters. "Fingers crossed and we'll hope to get there during the course of the day."
The uncertain direction of negotiations could soon trigger renewed pressure from Congress on the Obama administration.
Congressional lawmakers had agreed to hold off on pursuing new sanctions legislation while negotiations were underway in advance of the initial March 31 deadline.
But according to reports, the talks may only result in a general statement that pushes off the hard decisions until June.
And patience may be wearing thin on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., the lead Republican sponsor of the legislation imposing new sanctions on Iran if talks fail, on Tuesday renewed his call for the bill.
"Rather than rush headfirst into a disastrously bad deal, the administration should work with Congress to shift the burden of accepting a good deal onto Iran," Kirk said in a statement to FoxNews.com.
"The president could do that by signing into law the Kirk-Menendez legislation, which would empower the president to impose new sanctions if Iran fails to meet the major June 30th deadline or if Iran is not complying with the interim deal."
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., had co-sponsored the legislation, and along with other Democrats agreed to put the effort on hold while talks played out. If he and other Democrats join Kirk in pressing anew for the sanctions bill, the Obama administration has warned it could create turbulence for the talks themselves.
But supporters of the legislation argue it would only apply more -- and needed -- pressure on Iran to negotiate in good faith.
Prior to Tuesday's extension announcement, the Associated Press reported that, the sides were preparing to issue only a general statement agreeing to continue talks in a new phase aimed at reaching a final agreement to control Iran's nuclear ambitions by the end of June.
After intense negotiations, obstacles remained on uranium enrichment, where stockpiles of enriched uranium should be stored, limits on Iran's nuclear research and development and the timing and scope of sanctions relief among other issues.
The joint statement would have been accompanied by additional documents that outline more detailed understandings, allowing the sides to claim enough progress has been made thus far to merit a new round, the officials told the AP.
The softening of the language from a framework "agreement" to a framework "understanding" appeared due in part to opposition to a two-stage agreement from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Earlier this year, he demanded only one deal that nails down specifics and does not permit the other side to "make things difficult" by giving it wiggle room on interpretations.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been meeting with his Iranian counterpart Zarif since Thursday in an intense effort to reach a political understanding on the issue.
Kerry and others at the table said the sides have made some progress, with Iran considering demands for further cuts to its uranium enrichment program but pushing back on how long it must limit technology it could use to make atomic arms. In addition to sticking points on research and development, differences remain on the timing and scope of sanctions removal.
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