海角大神

Nuclear diplomacy with Iran is moving into unprecedented realms today, with unexpected prospects of striking a first-step deal in Geneva prompting US Secretary of State John Kerry to change travel plans and join the talks, along with British, French, and German foreign ministers.

That sudden development 鈥� after nearly two years of fruitless talks to limit 滨谤补苍鈥檚 nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions 鈥� also prompted opponents as varied as Israel鈥檚 prime minister and 滨谤补苍鈥檚 hard-line Friday prayer leader to raise loud voices of complaint.

滨谤补苍鈥檚 Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told 海角大神 today that a joint text was being prepared, but that 鈥渁 very difficult task鈥� lay ahead.

鈥淭he only way that we can create confidence and sustain this process is to have balance in the first step, about each side trying to alleviate the most immediate concerns of the other side,鈥� Mr. Zarif said in an interview as the day鈥檚 diplomacy began.

鈥淲e are still far from reaching an agreement, because we still have to nail them down and put them on paper, and in the best of circumstances we can finish it,鈥� said Zarif.聽

US officials want an initial deal that would to 鈥減ut time on the clock鈥� by聽halting the advancement of 滨谤补苍鈥檚 nuclear program in exchange for 鈥渧ery limited鈥� sanctions relief until a final, far more sweeping deal is reached, perhaps within six months.

Iran wants the endgame defined to allow the 鈥渞ight鈥� of a robust peaceful nuclear program, including enrichment of uranium on Iranian soil, and all sanctions lifted.

鈥淭his is going to be a critical stage today, and a critical process once we start implementing it,鈥� Zarif told the Monitor. 鈥淚 believe leaders must show courage and leadership in order to take this process forward, and that is what we expect from President Obama and Secretary Kerry 鈥� and that is what they should expect from us.鈥�

Zarif said time was short for all sides as Iran negotiates with the P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany). But opponents in Congress are demanding more sanctions on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has slammed a potential deal as a 鈥渉istoric mistake,鈥� and hardliners in Iran have vociferously opposed聽any accommodation with the West.

鈥淎 day is a tall ambition [to finalize a text]; we will all try,鈥� Zarif said. 鈥淚 am ready to work as long as necessary, even to stay on if necessary to finish this, before detractors can have a chance to start creating obstacles in the way of agreement and mutual understanding 鈥� because some already have started, calling it a 鈥榟istoric mistake.鈥欌��

Mr. Kerry was in the region working on Israel-Palestinian peace when the decision was made overnight to travel to Geneva 鈥渋n an effort to help narrow the differences,鈥� said US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. Kerry was invited by European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton, who leads negotiations on behalf of the P5+1, to take part in a trilateral meeting between Kerry and Zarif.

Kerry 鈥渋s committed to doing anything he can鈥� to narrow those differences, said a senior US official.

As the day鈥檚 events began, Ms. Ashton鈥檚 spokesman, Michael Mann, said 鈥渋ntense鈥� diplomacy was under way to close a deal. News of Kerry鈥檚 decision to come sparked the arrival also of the three European foreign ministers.

But as hopes grew for a nuclear deal with Iran, so did the rhetoric of its opponents. Kerry canceled a photo opportunity with Mr. Netanyahu 鈥渋n an attempt to avoid a public confrontation鈥� as he left Israel for Geneva this morning, Haaretz reported.

But Netanyahu went before the cameras alone to declare that the Jewish state .

Iran got "the deal of the century and the international community got a bad deal,鈥� said Netanyahu. 鈥淚srael is not obliged by this agreement and Israel will do everything it needs to do to defend itself and the security of its people.鈥澛�

Criticism likewise emerged in Iran 鈥� where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave unprecedented support to 滨谤补苍鈥檚 negotiating team in recent days, praising them as 鈥渟ons of the revolution鈥� in a bid to quiet hard-line opposition.聽

Addressing聽Friday聽prayers in Tehran, Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani warned that any deal in Geneva would hurt Iran.

"It's harmful to underestimate the enemy because they do nothing other than playing tricks," says Mr. Kermani, according to a translation by The Guardian. "The US secretary of State has pledged Netanyahu that he will not do a bad deal with Iran. It means that they will not agree to an agreement which is harmful for them, which means they will not make a good deal with Iran."

And new chances of a deal are alarming Iran hawks in Congress, who are now moving to speed up fresh sanctions measures 鈥� a step that the White House has fought against on Capitol Hill in recent weeks, saying that more sanctions now could disrupt sensitive talks.聽

Zarif said the presence of sanctions experts on the US team 鈥渋ndicates they are willing to deal with this issue. At least they have the equipment, the know-how, and the expertise to deal with the issue.鈥�

But any new US sanctions would spark a fierce reaction in Tehran and deepen mutual mistrust that has long plagued these talks, Zarif warned.

鈥淚f we see lack of good faith, if we see attempts by Congress to torpedo this process, I don鈥檛 think our hands are tied,鈥� said Zarif.

鈥淢y message to American lawmakers who have already started trying to prevent success of this is to look at their own record,鈥� he said, adding that 鈥渋t would have been a totally different story鈥� today if the US had years ago accepted Iranian proposals to cap its nuclear program, when Iran had less than 200 centrifuges enriching uranium.

鈥淣ow in 10 years of sanctions and intimidation, what the United States gained, what Congress gained, was 19,000 centrifuges spinning in Tehran. So that鈥檚 their record, and it鈥檚 a dismal record,鈥� said Zarif.

鈥淚 think they鈥檝e got to be careful not to repeat that. This is an opportunity that one year down the road, if not seized, will be wished for 鈥� and cannot be regained again.鈥澛�