Nuclear Talks Deadline Extended Yet Again as Negotiations Continue

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian Foreign Minister and head of negotiations for nuclear talks with world powers, confirmed Monday evening that a final deal has not been met by the forth-designated deadline for today, July 13.

Zarif stated on Monday evening that, “I always believe there shouldn’t be any extension but we could work as long as necessary to finish this,” echoing US Secretary of State’s press conference Monday in which he stated, “Given that the work here is incredibly technical and the stakes are very, very high, we will not rush, and we will not be rushed, and we won’t let ourselves be rushed through any aspect of this. All that we are focused on is the quality of the agreement. And that is what will continue to define our work.”

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated to Iranian media that “Talks have reached the final breathtaking moments; certain issues still remain. As long as these issues are not settled, one cannot say we have reached an agreement. I cannot promise that the outstanding issues will be resolved by tonight or tomorrow night.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the expected final agreement set for Monday, stating this morning that, “Even over the weekend, as Iran continued to receive more and more concessions at the negotiating table, Iranian President Rouhani led a march of hatred in the streets of Tehran in which the masses cried, ‘Death to America! Death to Israel!” in reference to Iran’s al-Quds Day.

He added that Israel has “never committed ourselves to preventing an agreement, certainly not one that the major powers are ready to sign at any price,” however, Israel does “commit ourselves to prevent Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons – and indeed, were it not for our efforts over the years, Iran would already be able to develop atomic bombs.”

Photo credit: U.S. Department of State (public domain)

Amir Tsarfati, a Jewish Christian, is the founder and president of Behold Israel, a news site to correct the scarcity in trustworthy reportage on issues and events impacting Israel, and to resolve the uncertainty about who or what to believe.