Iran foreign minister: nuclear deal possible in six months

Reuters: Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Mohammad Zarif said on Monday a final deal with world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program is possible within six months if there is good will and he was not worried about the U.S. Congress trying to impose new sanctions.

Eyeing sanctions thaw, Western delegates race to Iran

AFP: Six months after the inauguration of Iran’s moderate President Hassan Rouhani, Western diplomats and businessmen are racing to Tehran hoping that a diplomatic thaw will reopen lucrative markets.

Report: Moderate earthquake hits southern Iran

AP: Iranian state TV says a magnitude 5.5 earthquake has jolted a sparsely populated area in the country’s south. The report said the quake hit Sunday evening in the district of Goharan.

Iran says nuclear talks failure would be ‘disaster’

Reuters: Iran’s foreign minister held rare private talks with his U.S. counterpart on Sunday and said it would be a “disaster” if Tehran did not turn a provisional agreement to defuse a decade-old dispute over its nuclear program into a permanent deal.

EU negotiator has doubts about Iran nuclear deal deadline

UPI: Catherine Ashton, foreign policy chief for the EU, said it would be “extremely difficult” to conclude an accord before the six-month deadline is reached, but it was more important to create an acceptable agreement.

Clinton backs Obama on Iran sanctions

The Hill: Hillary Clinton is backing President Obama’s diplomacy with Iran in a move that could hurt her with major Jewish donors as she ponders a 2016 run.  Clinton weighed in against a bipartisan sanctions push that’s stuck in the Senate. 

U.S. warns over limits of Iran sanctions easing

Wall Street Journal: U.S. officials are fanning out across the globe, privately warning international executives not to commit too much as they re-engage with Iran during a temporary easing of sanctions.

Kerry meets with Iranian foreign minister

 

AP: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iran’s foreign minister Sunday on the sidelines of a security conference in Germany, pressing Iran to abide by the commitments it has already made ahead of new negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iran gets first instalment of frozen assets

AFP: Iran has received the first instalment of $4.2 billion in frozen assets as part of a nuclear deal with world powers, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told ISNA news agency Saturday.

It’s Howard Dean vs. Obama on Iran

Washington Post: Former Vermont governor Howard Dean surprised and delighted critics of President Obama’s Iran policy with the most cogent and forceful criticism of the interim deal from any Democrat to date.