U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is signaling diplomats won’t conclude an Iran nuclear agreement by early Friday morning, complicating American efforts to quickly implement any deal.
Under U.S. law, the seven nations negotiating in Vienna have to complete the accord before the end of Thursday in Washington to avoid invoking a 60-day congressional review period during which the Obama administration cannot waive sanctions on Iran.
If they meet the target, the review would only be 30 days.
The extended time period is significant as Iran is demanding prompt easing of economic penalties for nuclear concessions. And the longer world powers cannot make good on their promises, the longer they’ll have to wait for the Iranians.
Kerry said: “We will not rush and we will not be rushed.”
Guest
- Jim Walsh, expert in international security at MIT’s Security Studies Program. He tweets @DrJimWalshMIT.
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