USA Today:
Efforts to wrap up a nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers by Friday have hit a new snag over arms embargoes against Tehran that is dividing the U.S. and its negotiating partners.
Just as the two sides were moving closer to a nuclear agreement, Iran this week demanded that conventional weapons and missile embargoes be among the sanctions lifted in return for curbing its nuclear program.
That demand complicates the talks because the United States, Britain, France and Germany oppose such a move, but Russia and China want the embargo lifted so they can sell ballistic missiles and other weaponry to Iran.
“The arms embargoes themselves are not so much important to Iran, but the point is that no sanctions should be kept if there is to be a deal with Iran,” Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi said in Vienna, where negotiators are trying to complete a deal, according to the Iranian Fars News Agency.
The sanctions imposed by the United States, U.N. Security Council and the European Union include bans on sales of weapons and materials that Iran could use in its ballistic missile program.
Efforts to wrap up a nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers by Friday have hit a new snag over arms embargoes against Tehran that is dividing the U.S. and its negotiating partners.
Just as the two sides were moving closer to a nuclear agreement, Iran this week demanded that conventional weapons and missile embargoes be among the sanctions lifted in return for curbing its nuclear program.
That demand complicates the talks because the United States, Britain, France and Germany oppose such a move, but Russia and China want the embargo lifted so they can sell ballistic missiles and other weaponry to Iran.
“The arms embargoes themselves are not so much important to Iran, but the point is that no sanctions should be kept if there is to be a deal with Iran,” Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi said in Vienna, where negotiators are trying to complete a deal, according to the Iranian Fars News Agency.
The sanctions imposed by the United States, U.N. Security Council and the European Union include bans on sales of weapons and materials that Iran could use in its ballistic missile program…
