Washington Post: The Obama administration is reassessing whether a nuclear deal with Iran is possible despite wide differences over key issues and may seek to postpone a deadline looming Sunday to either complete an agreement or walk away from the landmark effort. Kerry told reporters that “very real gaps” remain in the talks and that officials must decide whether an extension of talks is prudent, based on progress to date.
Kerry says big gaps remain with Iran
Iraq Shia militia ‘murdered prisoners’
Telegraph: Abdullah Hamid al-Hayali is a man waging a campaign that he knows could see him murdered. The mayor of the Iraqi town of Baquba has taken it upon himself to reveal the truth about the fate of 46 prisoners, his nephew among them, who were killed in their cells, less than two miles from his home by Iran-backed militiamen. Government officials have pinned the blame for the deaths on the Sunni militants.
Iran nuclear negotiators under pressure after leader’s speech – envoys
Reuters: A major speech by Iran’s Supreme Leader has limited the ability of the Iranian delegation at high-level nuclear talks to make concessions with six world powers and this could scuttle chances for Tehran to reach an accord to end sanctions, diplomats said. In a public address filled with technical detail, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last week Iran needs to significantly increase its uranium enrichment capacity.
Facing deadline, US and Iran press nuclear talks
AP: The top U.S. and Iranian diplomats searched Monday for a breakthrough in nuclear talks, their efforts complicated by crises across the Middle East and beyond that have Washington and Tehran aligned in some places but often opposed. The state of U.S.-Iranian relations was adding a new wrinkle to the long negotiation aimed at curbing the Islamic republic’s uranium and plutonium programs.
U.S. Sees risks in assisting a compromised Iraqi force
New York Times: A classified military assessment of Iraq’s security forces concludes that many units are so deeply infiltrated by either Sunni extremist informants or Shiite personnel backed by Iran that any Americans assigned to advise Baghdad’s forces could face risks to their safety. According to the report Iraqi forces loyal to Nuri al-Maliki are now heavily dependent on Shiite militias — many of which were trained in Iran.
Iranian court sentences Facebook activists to jail
AP: An Iranian court handed jail sentences of eight to 21 years to eight Facebook page administrators, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. The report said the defendants were convicted of plotting against national security, spreading propaganda against the ruling system and insulting officials. It did not identify the defendants or the Facebook pages.
U.S., Iran say disputes remain in nuclear talks as deadline looms
Reuters: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday major differences persist between Iran and six world powers negotiating on Tehran’s nuclear program, with a week to go before a deadline for a deal. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters that Germany and the other members of the six-power group have tried to persuade Iran of the urgency of a deal.
Iran sends Rouhani brother to nuclear talks
Bloomberg: Iran has for the first time sent President Hassan Rouhani’s younger brother as a special observer to the nuclear talks in Vienna, signaling the importance of the final week of negotiations before a July 20 deadline. “He’s the president’s eyes and ears,” Ali Vaez, an Istanbul-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, said in an e-mailed reply to questions.
Iran sticks to ‘unworkable, inadequate’ stances in nuclear talks – U.S.
Reuters: Iran has stuck to “unworkable and inadequate” positions in nuclear talks with six world powers despite a looming deadline for a deal to end sanctions against Tehran in exchange for curbs on its atomic programme, a U.S. official said on Saturday. “We are still very far apart on some issues and obviously on enrichment capacity,” the senior U.S. administration official told reporters hours before Kerry was due to arrive in Vienna.
U.S. won’t extend nuclear talks without concessions from Iran
Los Angeles Times: U.S. officials warned Saturday that they would not seek to extend negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program beyond the July 20 deadline unless Tehran’s negotiators make major concessions in the next several days. With top Western diplomats convening Sunday in the Austrian capital to review progress in the talks, senior U.S. officials said the two sides remained deeply divided on the core issue of the negotiations.
