News / Foreign Policy

With progress, US won’t pull plug on Iran talks: White House

Tuesday, 31 March 2015 7:46 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 31 March 2015 8:04 PM ]

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) gestures waiting for the opening of a plenary session with P5+1 ministers, European Union and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Iran nuclear talks at the Beau Rivage Palace Hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 31, 2015. (AFP)

The United States will not “pull the plug” on nuclear talks with Iran if progress is being made in negotiations, the White House says as a self-imposed March 31 deadline nears.

“It doesn't make sense to pull the plug on the negotiations if progress is still being made,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Tuesday, adding, “It also doesn't make sense if we are getting serious engagement from the other side to just abruptly end the talks based on the deadline”.

Earnest further concluded that the US negotiators are “going to continue these conversations tomorrow if necessary as long as the conversations continue to be productive”.

Iran has not yet confirmed extension of the talks into Wednesday.

The spokesman also said US President Barack Obama is "very interested in these serious talks" yet he believes “no deal is far better than a bad deal".

Meanwhile, Marie Harf, the US State Department’s acting spokesperson, spoke of “several difficult issues still remaining”‎.

She however noted that “We’ve made enough progress in the last days to merit staying until Wednesday.”

Iran and the P5+1 group are working intensely to narrow their differences and hammer out an accord by the end of June 2015.

Ministerial delegations held three rounds of talks Tuesday in the Swiss city of Lausanne in the hope of reaching mutual understanding, yet talks still continue.

NT/NT

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