Iran rejects 'excessive demands' in nuclear talks with six powers

Reuters ^ | June 20 2014 | Reuters

[PoloSec]

(Reuters) - Iran told six big powers on Friday it would not accept their "excessive demands" after the latest talks on lifting sanctions against Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear work yielded no breakthrough, with a deadline for a deal just a month away.

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman said it was Iran that would need to shift its position: "What is still unclear is if Iran is really ready and willing to take all the necessary steps to assure the world that its nuclear programme is and will remain exclusively peaceful."

The stakes are high in the Vienna talks, which will resume on July 2, as the powers seek a negotiated solution to a more-than-decade-long standoff with Iran that has raised fears of a new Middle East war and a regional nuclear arms race.

Sherman noted at the end of five days of negotiations in the Austrian capital that Tehran had always maintained that it wants only civilian nuclear energy. "If that is indeed the case, then a good agreement is obtainable," the U.S. delegation chief said.

Iran and the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany are striving for a comprehensive settlement by July 20, a deadline set as part of an interim deal struck last year.

A six-month extension of the talks is a possibility but could be politically difficult for the United States, since the administration of President Barack Obama would almost certainly seek the approval of Congress, where hawkish lawmakers are suspicious of Iran and dislike the idea of engagement with it.

[SoFloFreeper]

#Obamafail

[VRW Conspirator]

“Nuke ‘em from orbit; its the only way to be sure.”

[nuconvert]

There’s a shocker

[Olog-hai]

How very Palestinian-like. How dare the West demand they give up their Allah-ordained prerogative to start World War Three and hasten the Mahdi’s return?