Amid signs of trouble in the Iran nuclear negotiations, US Secretary of State John Kerry cancelled plans Sunday to return to the United States for an event honoring his late Senate colleague Edward Kennedy in order to remain at the ongoing talks in Switzerland, the ABC News reported.
The State Department said Kerry had been looking forward to participating in the dedication of the Kennedy Institute in Boston with the family of the late Massachusetts senator on Sunday and Monday but that "given the ongoing nuclear negotiations in Switzerland, the secretary regrets he will not be able to share this special time with them in person." Kerry served in the Senate with Kennedy for nearly 25 years and the two were close friends.
Kerry's decision to stay comes as the talks appear to have hit obstacles ahead of a March 31 target for the outline of a final deal to be negotiated by the end of June. Officials have spoken of the hurdles in general terms, citing Iranian resistance to limits on research and development and demands for more speedy and broad relief from international sanctions.
With just three days to go, negotiators were meeting multiple times in various formats. Kerry has been in discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the Swiss town of Lausanne since Thursday. The foreign ministers of France and Germany arrived on Saturday and the foreign ministers of Britain, China and Russia are due to arrive on Sunday.
The State Department said late Saturday that "serious but difficult work" remained for negotiators and that the pace of discussions expected to intensify as "we assess if an understanding is possible."
Iran says its nuclear ambitions are purely peaceful; other nations fear it is seeking to develop weapons.