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On Friday March 20, the nuclear negotiations between the United States and several other countries (China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom) were suspended due to the sudden death of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s mother. The Iranian delegation had to leave Switzerland, where the deal was being discussed, at once.
Negotiations will be resumed on Wednesday, March 25.
John Kerry, Secretary of State, expressed his deepest regrets but wished the Iranian people a prosperous Persian new year, also known as Nowruz. He continued by saying that he hoped Iran’s leaders would make the right decision regarding the current nuclear talk for the sake of the Iranian people and the world.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif explained how Nowruz is the beginning of spring and that in Fasi it means “new day”. He continued with the following statement:
“I hope this new day will be a new day for the entire world – a new era of greater understanding and peace.”
Negotiations between these countries have a set deadline: March 31. The aim is to reach an agreeable restriction regarding Iran’s nuclear power. These limitations will bring some benefits – international sanctions against the country would be withdrawn.
If an agreement is reached, the details would be finalized around July of this year.
President Obama also sent a Nowruz message to the Iranian people, stating that this is a rare opportunity where the two nations can come together “to resolve this issue peacefully”. He added that these negotiations could bring an end to “Iran’s international isolation” and provide the country with new opportunities.
Foreign Minister used Twitter to make his thoughts known:
“Iranians have already made their choice: Engage with dignity. It’s high time for the U.S. and its allies to choose: pressure or agreement.”
Progress was made towards an agreement but the deal is not completely agreed upon. Obama stated that there are some individuals in the U.S. but also in other countries that oppose to a diplomatic agreement.
The deal implies Iran to decrease the number of machines used to develop an atomic bomb by 40 percent. If Iran leaders agree, the economic sanctions which affected the country massively would be lifted. In addition to this, the U.N. prohibition on conventional arms would be ameliorated.
Image Source: CTV News
