VIENNA — The Iran nuclear negotiations appeared to gather momentum June 30 and were extended until July 7, as Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rejoined the talks, saying he had a mandate to reach a final deal and he believed they could do it.
Zarif’s consultations in Iran were related to Iran seeking reassurance that sanctions relief in a final deal would actually materialize in exchange for the nuclear commitments that it would make, sources briefed by negotiators told Al-Monitor. In exchange for such reassurances, it was expected that Iranian negotiators would be able to offer more flexibility on nuclear-related issues to be able to conclude the deal.