The Iran nuclear talks have reportedly stalled

(Image credit: US Mission Geneva/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

published 20 March 2015

Negotiators from the U.S., Iran, and four other nations have until March 31 to reach an interim deal on Iran's nuclear program, and it doesn't look like they'll make it. "Contrary to what the Iranians are saying with regard to 90 percent of an accord being done, that's not correct," an unidentified European negotiator told Reuters and other news agencies. "We are not close to an agreement."

Iran says that there are a lot of sticking points left to be worked out, and talks will continue over the weekend, but the biggest is the question of phasing out United Nations sanctions, diplomats tell The Wall street Journal. The U.S. and Europe insist that U.N. sanctions be phased out over a couple of years, and the Iranians "say it's a deal-breaker," one European diplomat tells The Journal. Iran wants sanctions lifted immediately, and "there's no way that we would give up on that.... No way."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.