US, Iran Still Have 'Serious' Disagreements Over JCPOA, State Dept. Official Says
The U.S. still has “serious differences” with Iran over potentially rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a senior State Department official said, stressing that a deal isn’t imminent. The two sides disagree over a range of issues, the official said, including the nuclear steps Iran must take, the sanctions relief the U.S. will offer and the “sequence” of actions both sides will take. “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” the official said, speaking on a June 24 call with reporters. “And since everything is not agreed, we still don't have anything nailed down.”
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The person said there is a set timeline for how long negotiations can last, especially as Iran continues to breach the JCPOA. “This is not something that can go on indefinitely,” the official said. “We've made progress and the Iranians have been serious in the talks so far, but we do have differences.”
The two sides recently finished their sixth round of indirect negotiations and plan to schedule a seventh, the official said. “We wouldn't be going back for a seventh round if we didn't think that it was possible,” the official said. “But we're not there yet.”