Kerry: US undeterred by Iran leader's nuke comments

[webfact]

Kerry: US undeterred by Iran leader's nuke comments
MATTHEW LEE, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nuclear negotiations between world powers and Iran will not be affected by recent comments from Iran's supreme leader who appeared to backtrack on key points of an emerging deal, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday.

Kerry, who will leave on Friday to rejoin the talks in Vienna as negotiators race to meet a June 30 deadline to complete an agreement, said this week's speech by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would not deter the talks. Kerry said the speech, along with highlights on Khamenei's official Twitter feed were for "domestic political consumption." And, he said that if Iran did backtrack on commitments made in an April outline there would be no deal.

"This is something that's been going on throughout the negotiations," Kerry said of the Iranian leader's remarks. "It is not new. We are not going to be guided by or conditioned by or affected or deterred by some Tweet that is for public consumption or domestic political consumption. What matters to us is what is agreed upon within the four corners of a document and that is what is yet to be determined."

"It may be that the Iranians will not fill out the full measure of what was agreed at Lausanne and, in that case, there will not be an agreement," he said, referring to the framework reached on April 2 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In a speech on Tuesday, Khamenei rejected a long-term freeze on nuclear research and insisted that Iran will only sign a deal if international sanctions are lifted first.

Kerry said neither he nor President Barack Obama the United States would negotiate in public.

"I am not tweeting," he said. "I am not making speeches, neither is President Obama."

Earlier, the State Department announced in a one-sentence statement that Kerry would depart for Vienna on Friday on his first overseas trip since breaking his leg in a bicycle accident earlier this month after a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Geneva.

Diplomats from the United States, the other four permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany have been in intense discussions with Iranian officials in Vienna as the end-of-month deadline for a deal looms.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-06-25

[TVGerry]

Idiot Obama and his yes men. Of course the Iranians are going to screw you guys in this treaty. But Obama is so desperate to sign it, he'll probably agree to anything. Foolio.

[Credo]

I believe there are 5 countries involved in these negotiations.

[sdanielmcev]

Kerry is no diplomat. Obama made a very bad mistake in this. If you don't bargain from a position of power, you'll lose. Instead of his disastrous health care plan, he should have been strengthening his stature in the world. Not since JFK, a right-center President, have the dems had any coherent foreign policy.

[Ulysses G.]

Obama will sign ANYTHING with Iran - no matter how detrimental to the world - and the minor players will back him up. This is a BAD DEAL.

[little mary sunshine]

Kerry and Obama just don't get it. This government

Wants to blow Israel off the map first, and the U.S.

next. Don't give them the opportunity.

[BKKBobby]

Khamenei was only doing some posturing and Obama & Co. knows it...

[chuckd]

Yet another compelling reason to get this treaty done quickly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Kerry, Iran deal would be a legacy hit after many misses

• 

  Reuters/Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attends U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) at the State Department in Washington June 23, 2015. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

By Arshad Mohammed and Warren Strobel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pulls off a nuclear deal with Iran, it will be a singular achievement in a long career in which the grand prize has eluded him.

His 2004 presidential election loss, lack of legislative monuments despite 28 years in the Senate, and failure, like many before, to bring peace to Israelis and Palestinians have contributed to a view that he struggles to seal major successes.

The 71-year-old has expended remarkable energy in pursuit of what would be an historic agreement with Iran, flying tens of thousands of miles and holding dozens of meetings with his Iranian counterpart. He plans to attend the possible last stage of the nuclear talks in Vienna ahead of a June 30 deadline, despite breaking his leg late last month.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/kerry-iran-deal-legacy-hit-many-misses-050907277.html

[chuckd]

Despite BKKBobby's observation, the French government doesn't seem to agree with his appraisal of the Grand Ayatollah's remarks.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

France voices concerns on Iran talks after Khamenei comments

14 hours ago

.

View photo

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius leaves after the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in …

PARIS (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Wednesday that declarations from Iranian leaders appeared not to favor an international deal on the country's nuclear program.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday ruled out freezing sensitive nuclear work in the country for a long time and said sanctions imposed on it should be lifted as soon it reaches a final deal with major powers, state TV reported.

Major powers - Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the United States - want Iran to commit to a verifiable halt of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear development work as part of a landmark atomic deal they aim to reach by June 30.

http://news.yahoo.com/frances-fabius-voices-caution-iran-nuclear-deal-hopes-131634819.html

Edited June 25, 2015 by chuckd

[chuckd]

But. there is always some way to sweeten the pot. If the equipment is made in France, it will help.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

AP Exclusive: Document outlines big-power nuke help to Iran

Jun 24, 3:33 AM (ET)

By GEORGE JAHN

VIENNA (AP) — The United States and other nations negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran are ready to

offer high-tech reactors and other state-of-the-art equipment to Tehran if it agrees to crimp programs that can make atomic arms, according to a confidential document obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The draft document — one of several technical appendices meant to accompany the main text of any deal — has dozens of bracketed text where disagreements remain. Technical cooperation is the least controversial issue at the talks, and the number of brackets suggest the sides have a ways to go not only on that topic but also more contentious disputes with little more than a week until the June 30 deadline for a deal.

With that deadline looming, Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday rejected a long-term freeze on nuclear research and supported banning international inspectors from accessing military sites. Khamenei, in comments broadcast on Iranian state television, also said Iran will sign a final deal provided all economic sanctions now on Iran are first lifted — in a sign the Islamic Republic may be toughening its stance ahead of the deadline.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20150624/iran-nuclear_talks-2f6f8d9805.html

[Ulic]

Ayatollah Ali Khameneis inflammatory comments are not so different than those of

Republican congressmen. I don't know if this is a good agreement or not. Personally

I don't want any countries to have nuclear weapons. Including the US and Russia. But

for those who take the NRA line against gun control, that If everyone in the US had a gun,

the USA would be a safer place. Therefore, if every country had nuclear weapons the world

would have less warfare.

[Srikcir]

Idiot Obama and his yes men. Of course the Iranians are going to screw you guys in this treaty. But Obama is so desperate to sign it, he'll probably agree to anything. Foolio.

If that were true, negotiations would have been concluded 3 years ago. Amazingly, even Iranian trade partners and weapon suppliers China and Russia who are PART OF THE NEGOTIATING TEAM have showed unity with the US in demanding tough conditions for lifting of the sanctions. Both countries are not that far removed from a Middle East if all those nations go nuclear.

[Srikcir]

As General Prayut and Kim Jong-un know, even a Supreme Leader needs supporters and the military alone is not sufficient to conduct economic business to sustain a nation. The reality for Ali Khamenei is that the Iranian people are beginning to see an improved economic future from the negotiations that in the near term trumps Kamemei's ROADMAP to Middle East Dominance.

So Khamenei will try to keep to his agenda as much as possible by minimizing future corrections arising from a deal with the P-5 on nuclear weapons disarmenant. His latest in a series of previous comments is just part of negotiation "tree shaking" to see if he can get some "free fruit" to fall. Otherwise, he is fairly locked into a deal controlled by the P-5. I am sure Israel's Netanyahu feels the same way from an opposite perspective.

[ABCer]

Kerry and Obama just don't get it. This government

Wants to blow Israel off the map first, and the U.S.

next. Don't give them the opportunity.

All these talks, statements, agreements signed, misinterpretations etc.

are only means for Iran to achieve its major goals written in their Book - Koran.

The prolonged process will go on until it reaches the Red Line -

immediate and imminent danger to the World peace.

It is totally immaterial who will preside over the White Office at that time.

And we all know which country will be forced to act decisively and which will be

holding a 'highly moral' position waving this worthless piece of paper and joining UN in

indignation.

[Steely Dan]

Five former advisors to president Obama have warned the deal is likely to fall short of what would be considered a good deal even by their own criteria. There can be no clearer demonstration of the capitulation we are witnessing, as those who are able to dissociate themselves from the current negotiating stance.

http://app.debka.com/p/newsupdate/11746/

[Ulysses G.]

Absolutely right. It is becoming very apparent that Obama and his P-5 minions will sign on the dotted line, just to claim a historic "deal" with Iran - no matter how bad it is - and even his own advisors are alarmed. The world is being sold out for one man's "legacy".

[ABCer]

Absolutely right. It is becoming very apparent that Obama and his P-5 minions will sign on the dotted line, just to claim a historic "deal" with Iran - no matter how bad it is - and even his own advisors are alarmed. The world is being sold out for one man's "legacy".

You should change "legacy" for infamy.

[BKKBobby]

Absolutely right. It is becoming very apparent that Obama and his P-5 minions will sign on the dotted line, just to claim a historic "deal" with Iran - no matter how bad it is - and even his own advisors are alarmed. The world is being sold out for one man's "legacy".

You should change "legacy" for infamy.

The ones that isnt too old will hang around long enough to see if its a hit or miss in the bigger picture, there might be some bumps on the road even if the deal gets signed, who knows... my bet is that it will be a good final outcome, of course nothing that is positive for the progress of the Iranians is good for the Israelis and the Pro-Israelis included those that have love for Israel. Its not that ONLY do they want to prevent Iran from being able to make nuclear weapons, they simply dont want the country to have progress and not being able to prosper since its considered the biggest enemy of Israel.

Its a standard I.R. Iran politial posturing speech for domestic consumption, a higher quality BS than "death to this and that" speeches of course.

Lets see shall we.

Its the bigger picture that matters, of course no matter if the possible deal gets signed, there still might come future disagreements, i call them bumps on the road.

The bigger picture, the result in the end is what matters and thats what will show us if it was a success or not.

Edited June 26, 2015 by BKKBobby