'Key parameters' of Iranian nuclear deal agreed in Switzerland

by Isabelle Roussel and Biodun Iginla, France24 and BBC News, Lausanne

Latest update : 2015-04-02

Marathon nuclear talks in Switzerland have ended with an agreement on the “key parameters” of a deal, Iranian President Hassan Rohani and EU diplomats said, including a 10-year agreement on limiting Iran's enrichment capacity.

"Key parameters" of a nuclear deal have been agreed and will be finalised by June 30, President Rohani announced in a tweet.
A Western source said the framework agreement included provisions for two-thirds of Iran’s current enrichment capacity to be suspended and monitored for the next decade. Most of Iran’s enriched uranium will either be diluted or shipped abroad for storage.
"Found solutions, ready to start drafting immediately," said Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, also in a tweet.
Iranian media reported that Tehran had agreed to slash the number of its centrifuges from 19,000 to 6,000.
US sources said the draft deal included provisions for US and EU sanctions to "snap back into place" if Iran fails to uphold its part of the agreement.
Sanctions have halved Iran’s oil exports to just over one million barrels per day since the last round of sanctions was put in place in 2012, and how to revoke them – and whether they could be reinstated – had proved a major sticking point in the talks.
"Sanctions that are lifted can be re-imposed if the deal is not applied," the office of President François Hollande said in a statement. A "credible" and "verifiable" final agreement must prevent Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon, the Elysée Palace said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted that the deal would “resolve major issues on the nuclear program”.
“Back to work soon on a final deal,” he added.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also struck a cautious note, welcoming the framework but adding: "There is still work to do."
Iran’s Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini delivered a joint statement late Thursday following reports of the deal. Mogherini has acted as a coordinator for the P5+1 powers – the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia plus Germany – in the latest round of talks with Tehran.
Mogherini said a “decisive step” had been achieved.
The design of a new Iranian reactor will be altered so that no weapons-grade plutonium can be produced, Mogherini said. The Fordo facility, built deep inside a mountain, will remain operational but will not be used for enrichment but for research and development.
Zarif said the agreement would show that "our programme is exclusively peaceful, has always been and always will remain exclusively peaceful", while not hindering the country's pursuit of atomic energy for civilian purposes.
Russia praised the deal as one that respects “Iran's unconditional right to a peaceful nuclear programme”, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Speaking from the Rose Garden at the White House, US President Barack Obama said that a "historic understanding" had been reached with Iran.
He called the draft agreement "a good deal, a deal that meets our core objectives".

BREAKING!!!--Iran nuclear talks: 'Framework' deal agreed

by Sunita Kureishi and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Tehran

15 minutes ago

An outline agreement on the future shape of the Iranian nuclear programme has been reached after marathon talks between Iran and six major powers in Switzerland.

Iran, the US and Germany all said a solution had been found after eight days of negotiations in Lausanne.
A comprehensive nuclear accord is meant to be drafted by 30 June.
Iran denies Western claims it is trying to build a nuclear weapon.
It entered negotiations in order to see sanctions lifted.

The negotiations between the so-called P5+1 - the US, UK, France, China and Russia plus Germany - and Iran at Lausanne's Beau-Rivage Palace hotel were supposed to end on 31 March but overran in the search for agreement.
In a tweet, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said: "Found solutions, ready to start drafting immediately."
Also on Twitter, Germany's foreign ministry said: "Agreement for framework on final agreement reached."
And US Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted: "Big day... Back to work soon on final deal."
But Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu also took to Twitter to declare: "Any deal must significantly role back Iran's nuclear capabilities and stop its terrorism and aggression."

Iran nuclear: Western powers promise 'no bad' deal

by Selina O'Grady and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, London

29 minutes ago

Western powers negotiating an agreement with Iran on its nuclear activity will not accept "a bad deal", UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says.

Ministers from France, Germany, and the UK along with the US Secretary of State met in London amid increased urgency to reach agreement by the end of March.
Six world powers want to ensure that Iran cannot develop nuclear weapons - something it denies doing.
Earlier, Iran's president spoke positively about reaching agreement.
"There is nothing that cannot be resolved," although some differences still remain, Iranian state media quoted President Hassan Rouhani as saying.
Mr Rouhani said that in the current round of talks in Lausanne, Switzerland, "shared points of view emerged in some of the areas where there had been a difference of opinion" and these could become "a foundation for a final agreement".
Speaking after Saturday's talks in London, Mr Hammond said: "We will not do a bad deal that does not meet our red lines."
An official statement from the meeting said: "We agreed that substantial progress had been made (with Iran) in key areas although there are still important issues on which no agreement has yet been possible.

"Now is the time for Iran, in particular, to take difficult decisions."

The four powers, along with China and Russia, make up the so-called P5+1 which is negotiating with Iran to scale back sensitive nuclear activities in return for an easing of international economic sanctions.
Both Iran and the Western powers have set themselves deadlines of 31 March for a political framework agreement and 30 June for a final deal.
US Secretary of State John Kerry also said that "substantial progress" had been made in the talks although "important gaps" remained.
Mr Kerry flew to London from Switzerland and will return there to resume talks with Iran next week.
But in a reminder of more hardline attitudes within the Iranian leadership, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Saturday against submitting to foreign demands in order to achieve economic growth.
Sticking points in the nuclear talks are thought to include the pace at which sanctions would be lifted, how long the deal will last and how much of Iran's nuclear facilities will be open to inspection.

Iran nuclear talks: Deal can be reached, says Rouhani

by Sunita Kureishi and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Tehran

3 hours ago

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says that progress made in nuclear talks means a final deal can be reached.

"There is nothing that cannot be resolved," although some differences still remain, Iranian state media quoted him as saying.
US Secretary of State John Kerry also said that "substantial progress" had been made in the talks.
Six world powers are negotiating a deal with Iran aimed at limiting its nuclear activity, with a late March deadline.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes but world powers fear it has military ambitions.

'Intensive verification'

Mr Rouhani said that in the current round of talks in Lausanne, Switzerland, "shared points of view emerged in some of the areas where there had been a difference of opinion".

They could become "a foundation for a final agreement", he said, according to state news agency Irna.

Analysis: Emily Buchanan, BBC world affairs correspondent
The stakes are high for all sides and there are major sticking points, but still an outline agreement in 10 days' time looks possible.
For Iran's leaders, ruling a country creaking under the weight of sanctions, the prospect of an economic revival is tantalisingly close. But they must not be seen to lose face to the West.
For US President Barack Obama, a "historic" deal would be a foreign policy triumph. Without one, the pressure could grow from Israel and from Republicans in Congress for military action against Iran.
For the EU, there would also be a "diplomatic dividend" and more trade. But the French do not want to rush things. They strongly oppose any weak agreement that might let Iran develop nuclear weapons in the future.

Speaking separately in Lausanne, Mr Kerry said "genuine progress" had been made, although "important gaps" remained.

The US wanted "a comprehensive and durable agreement... whose implementation is not based on trust, but based on intensive verification", Mr Kerry said.
Later on Saturday, Mr Kerry travelled to London to meet his counterparts from the UK, Germany and France.
They were to discuss their negotiating position and try to resolve any sticking points before talks continue next week in Switzerland.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said after the talks that the parties agreed substantial progress had been made in the nuclear talks.
Iran has been in talks with the so-called P5+1 - the US, UK, France, China and Russia plus Germany - who want it to scale back sensitive nuclear activities to ensure that it cannot develop a nuclear weapon.

In return, the world powers have offered to lift sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy.
Both sides have set themselves deadlines of 31 March for a political framework agreement and 30 June for a final deal.
According to unnamed officials talking to the Associated Press news agency, the deal being discussed would commit Tehran to a 40% cut in the number of machines it could use to make an atomic bomb.
In return, economic sanctions would be eased and a UN embargo on conventional arms would be partially lifted.

'Arrogant powers'

On Friday, US President Barack Obama said in a video message to the Iranian people that there was "an historic opportunity to resolve this issue peacefully".
But in a reminder of more hardline attitudes within the Iranian leadership, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reacted by warning against submitting to foreign demands in order to achieve economic growth.
Sticking points in the nuclear talks are thought to include the pace at which sanctions would be lifted, how long the deal will last and how much of Iran's nuclear facilities will be open to inspection.

The UN Security Council has adopted six resolutions since 2006 requiring Iran to stop enriching uranium, with sanctions to persuade Iran to comply.
The US and EU have imposed additional sanctions on Iranian oil exports and banks since 2012, hitting Iran's oil revenue badly.

Obama mocks Republican letter to Iran over nuclear talks

by Melissa Gruz and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Washington DC

1 hour ago

US President Barack Obama has criticised a letter from Republican senators to Iran, accusing them of "interfering" in ongoing nuclear talks.

He said the 47 senators made an "unusual coalition" with Iran's hard-line religious leaders.
The letter reminds Iran that any deal is just an executive agreement unless it gets congressional approval.
Talks on Iran's nuclear programme are at a critical stage, with an outline agreement due on 31 March.
Last week Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Congress the deal currently being negotiated could "pave Iran's path to the bomb".
Separately, officials confirmed that US Secretary of State John Kerry would meet his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Sunday in Switzerland, as part of the process.
The P5+1 group of major powers - the US, UK, France, Russia and China plus Germany - is seeking to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for an easing of UN sanctions.
They are trying to address concerns that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons technology, something Tehran denies.

Republicans and some Democrats have long been pushing for Congress to get a vote on any deal.
But the White house insists such an agreement does not require the approval of legislators, the BBC's Gary O'Donoghue reports from Washington.

"I think it's somewhat ironic to see some members of Congress wanting to make common cause with the hardliners in Iran," Mr Obama said in response to the letter. "It's an unusual coalition."
He added that he would concentrate his efforts on trying to strike a deal.
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the letter interfered with diplomatic negotiations. He called it a "rush to war, or at least the rush to the military option".
Mr Zarif dismissed the letter as a propaganda ploy, adding that if a future administration revoked a deal it would amount to a blatant violation of international law.
In their letter to Iran, published on the website of Senator Tom Cotton, the senators suggest Iran's leaders "may not fully understand our constitutional system".

They note that any agreement without their support would exist solely between President Obama and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
"The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen, and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time," the senators wrote in the letter.
The signatories add that "most of us will remain in office well beyond [January 2017]" when Mr Obama's second term comes to an end.

Nuclear Iran: What world powers want - and what they fear

• World powers imposed sanctions on Iran because they felt it was not being honest about its nuclear programme and was seeking the ability to build a nuclear bomb.
• Tehran denied this. Talks between Iran and six world powers known as the P5+1 have tried to allay the suspicions in exchange for easing the sanctions
• Specifically, the world powers want to curtail Iran's ability to enrich uranium, which can be used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons
• Disagreement centres on how to limit Iran's development and use of centrifuges that enrich uranium
• Faster enrichment would cut the time Iran would need to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a weapon, were it to choose to do so. The US wants this "break-out window" to be at least a year long
• It is not known if Iran has a warhead or suitable delivery system

Iran's main nuclear sites

Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid denounced the letter.
"Let's be clear," Mr Reid said on the floor of the Senate on Monday. "Republicans are undermining our commander in chief while empowering the ayatollahs."
The letter comes shortly after Congress invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak on the issue of the Iran talks.
That move earned White House disapproval as Congress acted unilaterally.
Republicans now control both chambers of Congress after winning elections last November, giving them considerable leverage over Mr Obama.

 

Netanyahu row with Obama administration deepens

by Melissa Gruz and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

9 minutes ago

A row between the US and Benjamin Netanyahu has deepened, with the Israeli leader accusing America and others of "giving up" on trying to stop Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.

The US Secretary of State questioned Mr Netanyahu's judgement on the issue.
Republican leaders have invited Mr Netanyahu to address the US Congress next week, angering Democrats.
A White House spokesman warned against reducing US-Israeli ties to a party political issue.
Earlier, US National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Mr Netanyahu's visit was "destructive to the fabric of the relationship".

'May not be correct'

In response Mr Netanyahu he said the US and others were "accepting that Iran will gradually, within a few years, will develop capabilities to produce material for many nuclear weapons".
"I respect the White House and the president of the United States but on such a fateful matter, that can determine whether or not we survive, I must do everything to prevent such a great danger for Israel," he said in a speech in Israel.
Late on Wednesday US Secretary of State John Kerry rebuffed Mr Netanyahu, saying: "He may have a judgment that just may not be correct here."
He said it was premature to criticise nuclear the negotiations with Tehran. "The president has made clear - I can't state this more firmly - the policy is Iran will not get a nuclear weapon," Mr Kerry told senators.
He was speaking after returning from the latest round of nuclear talks involving Iran in Geneva.

Analysis - Barbara Plett Usher, BBC News, Washington

Administration officials have been hitting back at Mr Netanyahu's aggressive opposition to the nuclear deal they're negotiating with Iran - they're unhappy his speech to Congress will give him a platform to make his case as talks reach a critical juncture.
Susan Rice's comments highlight that strain and are the most direct reference by a senior official to the damage caused by the controversy over the visit. It was arranged by Republican congressional leaders without consulting the Democrats or the White House, just two weeks before Mr Netanyahu faces an election.
That has angered Democrats, some of whom feel they'll be forced to choose between President Obama and their desire not to upset Israel. More than a dozen have said they plan to skip the speech, opening an unprecedented breach in the usual show of bipartisan support for Israel.

Mr Netanyahu was invited by House Speaker John Boehner in what is seen as a rebuke to US President Barack Obama's Iran policy.
Mr Netanyahu is expected to discuss Iran, as well as Islamist militant groups, in his address.
The current tensions took root over a decade ago when Iran's nuclear program first came to light.
In 2005, Iran was referred to the UN Security Council, leading to a series of sanctions and UN resolutions requiring Tehran to stop enriching uranium.
The US and other powers - the so-called P5+1 - are negotiating with Iran on its nuclear programme. They want to agree a deal by March this year, but Mr Netanyahu is opposed to any agreement which might allow Tehran to retain the future capacity to build a nuclear weapon.

'Breach of protocol'

The Israeli leader has turned down an invitation to meet Senate Democrats privately, saying this "could compound the misperception of partisanship" surrounding his trip.

Several Democratic members of Congress including Vice-President Joe Biden have said they would not attend the speech.
Republican leaders did not consult the Obama administration before inviting Mr Netanyahu, which the White House has called a breach of protocol.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Wednesday: "The president has said the relationship between the US and Israel can't just be reduced to a relationship between the Republican party and the Likud party."
Mr Obama does not plan to meet Mr Netanyahu next week. The White House cited the "long-standing practice" of not meeting government leaders close to elections, which Israel will hold in mid-March.
Mr Netanyahu is fighting a tough election against the Labour Party's Yitzhak Herzog, who has focused on the prime minister's cooler relations with Mr Obama.

John Boehner invites Netanyahu to Congress on Iran

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21 January 2015 Last updated at 12:51 ET

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by Suzanne Gould and Biodun Iginla, BBC Newsbeat Online

Continue reading the main story

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US House Speaker John Boehner has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress on Iran.

The move is seen as a rebuke to President Barack Obama's threat to veto any additional sanctions on the country during his State of the Union address.
The White House has said it believes new sanctions will be harmful to negotiations on its nuclear programme.
Mr Boehner also criticised the president's other proposals, including a tax hike for the rich.
He confirmed on Wednesday he had invited Mr Netanyahu to speak to Congress "on the grave threats radical Islam and Iran pose to our security and way of life".
The Speaker accused Mr Obama of "papering over" the threat of both militant Islamic groups and Iran's nuclear programme in his speech.
During the address, Mr Obama had called on Congress to pass a resolution to authorise the use of force against the Islamic State militant group and said he would veto any bill that offered new sanctions on Iran.
On Wednesday a White House spokesman said the move breached "typical protocol" but the administration would reserve judgment until the Israelis had outlined their plans.

Analysis: Jon Sopel, BBC North America editor Fascinating that Mr Boehner's first act since the State of the Union is to invite Mr Netanyahu to address Congress on the subject of Iran's nuclear ambitions. He doesn't trust Iran, and believes the west is about to make an historic mistake in trusting Tehran to show good faith on the country's nuclear ambitions.
Last night Barack Obama was arguing that negotiations were at a delicate stage with Tehran over a deal. A deal that would be jeopardised, he believes, by Congress voting for tougher sanctions against Iran at this stage.
It's also the subject that British Prime Minister David Cameron got involved in when he was meeting the president in Washington last week - he phoned a number of Senators (which I understand Obama's closest advisors were delighted about) to argue that tougher sanctions would destabilise the talks.
On this bit of foreign policy it is clear there is profound mistrust between Congress and the White House - and the decision to invite Mr Netanyahu - a man who has the most testy relationship with the president - must be seen as a poke in the eye to Barack Obama

Mr Netanyahu (right) has warned a deal over Iran's nuclear programme would put Israeli at risk

Mr Obama delivered his address to a joint session of the US Congress

Six world powers want Iran to curb its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions.
An interim deal was struck in November 2013 but deadlines for a comprehensive deal have since been missed.
Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly warned a deal with Iran could threaten Israel's security. The Israeli Prime Minister has not officially responded to the invitation.
In a speech devised to appeal to working families, Mr Obama outlined his strategy for "middle-class economics".
Mr Obama said he planned to build on the country's economic growth by offering working families with help in the form of sick and maternity leave and affordable childcare, as well as to offer free community college for some students.
But the plans are unlikely to make it past a Republican-controlled Congress.

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The BBC's Katty Kay says battle lines are clearly drawn

On Wednesday, Republicans criticised the president for his economic proposals and for the speech's veto threats.
"All the president really offered was more taxes, more government, more of the same approach that has failed the middle class for decades," Mr Boehner told reporters.
Representative Paul Ryan, chairman of the tax-writing committee, said: "He knows we're not going to raise taxes. So I'm kind of surprised he paid lip service to that."
At the centre of Mr Obama's tax proposal is an increase in the tax rate on investment gains for couples making more than $500,000 (£330,000) annually, higher taxes on some estates and fees for financial firms with assets more than $50bn.
Republican took control of both chambers of Congress at the beginning of January after winning majorities in the November midterm elections.

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Russia told U.S. it will not attend 2016 nuclear security summit

by Suzanne Gould, Maria Ogryzlo, and Biodun Iginla, News Analysts, BBC News Website

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW Wed Nov 5, 2014 2:43pm EST

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Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a meeting with senior officers who attained higher ranks at the Kremlin in Moscow, October 31, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/Michael Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin

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Russia has told the United States that it will not attend a 2016 nuclear security summit, the State Department said on Wednesday, in the latest sign of frosty ties between Washington and Moscow.
Explaining why it would stay away, Moscow said it doubted the value of the summit, which is to be held in Chicago in 2016, and believed the views of states which disagreed with the event's organizers would be ignored.
Instead, Russia would focus on a similar conference to be held also in 2016 by the United Nations nuclear body, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

 

 

 

The bi-annual summit aims to improve nuclear security around the world and, in the past, has involved more than 50 countries including China, France, Germany and Britain.
"Russia delivered a demarche to the United States in advance of last week's preparatory meetings informing us that it no longer planned to participate in the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
On Tuesday, U.S. officials said they regretted Russia's decision not to attend last week's preparatory meetings but they did not disclose the Russian decision to skip the 2016 meeting itself, apparently to give Moscow a chance to change its mind.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had informed Washington in mid-October about its decision. "We regard the recent leaks about (the decision) in the American media as an unsuccessful attempt to put pressure on the Russian side in order to change our position," the ministry said. "We consider such efforts counterproductive."
U.S.-Russian ties have been strained by a host of issues, including Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March; its suspected military support for separatists elsewhere in Ukraine; and Moscow's 2013 decision to grant temporary asylum to Edward Snowden, a former U.S. government contractor accused of revealing a massive U.S. intelligence-gathering program.
The last nuclear security summit was in The Hague in March, when Russia and the United States set aside their differences over Crimea to endorse the meeting's final statement.
Psaki tried to put the best face on the Russian decision to skip the Chicago summit, a foreign policy initiative of U.S. President Barack Obama that is being held in a city where he has a home and began his career.
"The United States and Russia continue to work productively on nuclear security issues through other channels," Psaki said.
"In the wake of the Ukrainian situation, we have still cooperated with Russia on issues of nuclear security and non proliferation as has been visible in our joint efforts on CW (chemical weapons) elimination in Syria and the P5+1 process with Iran," she added.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the proposed system of preparation for the summit eliminated the possibility that the opinions of states that do not agree "in everything with the line dictated by organizers" would be taken into account when an action plan for international organizations is developed at the summit.
"We do not see any possibility to take part in the preparations for the Fourth Summit on Nuclear Security," the ministry said in its statement.
"Instead, we intend to focus on efforts to strengthen cooperation in the framework of the IAEA, in particular on preparations for the next high-level conference (on nuclear security) under the auspices of the Agency, scheduled for 2016."
The P5+1 group, which includes Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, is trying to negotiate an agreement under which Iran would take steps to restrain its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.