Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi says the country won’t be shipping off their stockpiles of uranium, the latest complication in negotiations before today's self-imposed deadline.
Araqchi’s statements came as news to American officials; for months it was believed that Iran would send their uranium to Russia for reprocessing. Reprocessed uranium is altered from its pure state, making it difficult to develop a nuclear weapon. Despite statements made to Iranian media, however, a State Department official tells reporters, “Contrary to the report in The New York Times, the issue of how Iran’s stockpile would be disposed of had not yet been decided in the negotiating room, even tentatively.”
Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iranian foreign ministers Monday to address the recent announcement and finalize the parameters of the deal.
Six days of marathon sessions ended today with a resolution to continue talking. Though a basic framework has been laid out, Iran the five other nations involved in negotiations still disagree over some key issues.
Guests:
Robert Einhorn, senior fellow of foreign policy at Brookings Institution
Steve LeVine, Washington correspondent for Quartz at QZ.com