US expects drafting of Iran final nuclear deal to begin in May
A senior US administration official has stated that the P5+1 and Iran are on course to start drafting a comprehensive deal on Iran's nuclear program in May, but cited Iran will have to make tough choices if a deal is to be reached.
Six world powers and Iran are on pace to start drafting the text of a comprehensive Iran nuclear accord in May, with the aim of reaching a final agreement by the July 20th expiration of the six month interim deal, a senior US official said Friday ahead of the third round of final deal talks in Vienna next week.
“We have set out a work plan on how to proceed to get a comprehensive agreement…and we are on pace with that work plan and look to begin drafting in May,” the senior US administration official, speaking not for attribution, told journalists in a conference call briefing Friday.
"All of the parties are committed to finishing within the six-month [duration of the] Joint Plan of Action," the official said. "I am absolutely convinced that we can."
"So the real issue is not about whether you can write the words on paper," the US official said. "It's about the choices Iran has to make, some very difficult, in order to ensure that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon."
