Iran nuclear talks: 'tricky issues' remain as deadline looms

US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned that there are "still some tricky issues" to resolve as the deadline for an Iran nuclear deal looms.

Negotiators from the US, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany have been trying to hammer out a political framework before midnight on Tuesday to curb Iran's ability to build a nuclear weapon in return for sanctions relief.

Last night in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the talks are taking place, Kerry said there had been a "little more light", but added "there are still some tricky issues".

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

BBC's Ben Bland says the deal could "scarcely be more sensitive or difficult". Negotiations have been going on for 18 months following a lengthy stand-off between Iran and the West.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said it was "in everybody's interest" to reach a deal, but added that any agreement had to put the bomb beyond Iran's reach. "There can't be any compromise on that," he said.

The central problems are said to be the length of restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities and how quickly the UN sanctions would be removed, as well as the penalties available if Iran fails to comply.

Iran has accepted strict limits on its development of new superefficient centrifuges during the first ten years of a deal, says The Guardian, but has refused to extend the restrictions for a further five years, arguing that it would render itself dependent on foreign technology.

It also wants all UN Security Council sanctions lifted, but the international community says it must first be convinced that Iran has no intention of pursuing a weapons programme.

"At this moment of impasse, the brinkmanship is beginning to show," says The Guardian.

David E Sanger, at the New York Times, says that essentially three deals need to take place: one between the West and Iran, which he says is probably the easiest; one between President Barack Obama and Congress, which is becoming increasingly difficult; and one between the Iranian negotiators and the country's Ayatollahs and military, which may be "impossible".