Iran Reportedly Confronts US Officials at Geneva Nuclear Talks over GOP Letter

Iranian officials reportedly have confronted their U.S. counterparts twice over an open letter from Republican senators to Tehran that warned any agreement on Iran’s nuclear program would be unlikely to last beyond President Barack Obama’s term of office.

The Associated Press, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that the letter, which was signed by 47 of 54 GOP members, first came up in negotiations on Sunday and was raised again Monday in discussions led by Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.

Zarif was quoted by Iranian state media after the meeting as saying the topics included the potential speed of a softening of U.S. economic sanctions and the new issue of the letter from the senators. “It is necessary that the stance of the U.S. administration be defined about this move,” he was quoted as saying.

Kerry and Zarif met for nearly five hours in Lausanne, the start of several planned days of discussions. Most of the Iranians then departed for Brussels, where they were to meet with European negotiators.

In Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that “we are entering a crucial time, a crucial two weeks.” And German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that after “more than 10 years of negotiations, we should seize this opportunity.” (Read more from “Iran Reportedly Confronts US Officials at Geneva Nuclear Talks over GOP Letter” HERE)

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