Iranian media warned on Saturday that reports of a draft for a deal on its nuclear program are totally incorrect.
Reuters reported on Friday that the French Foreign Minister said an agreement is “close” for a two of three-page agreement, while more cautious voices said it is not certain.
The news agency stated:
‘The sides are very, very close to the final step and it could be signed or agreed and announced verbally,’ a senior Iranian official familiar with the talks told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Other officials echoed the remarks while warning that several crucial issues were still being hotly debated.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the parties were “better than halfway” to a deal, according to the Associated Press.
Iran, just like the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League, have a knack for squeezing anyone who even begins to compromise, which they consider a sign of weakness.
The Western mentality of setting a deadline is a two-edged sword. It acts as a threat that Iran may be punished if it does not sign on the dotted line, but it also works to Iran’s advantage, which knows very well that President Obama is shivering in his White House boots at the thought of having to use muscle.
Iran’s regime-controlled Fars News Agency reported Saturday that a source “dismissed the Reuters’ report as groundless and media hype.”
That could mean that the West thinks Iran is ready to agree to terms. Iran, as usual, will try make U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the rest of the P5+1 leaders sweat it out and possibly score a point for its ego by forcing the West to wait until after the “deadline” to sign a deal.
“Intensive negotiations with the P5+1 are continuing at all levels to achieve solutions to different issues,” a source” told Fars.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Friday night:
We are not close to a deal as reaching a comprehensive agreement needs political will and choosing between pressure and agreement. We are proceeding, we still have work to do and we are trying hard.
Deputy negotiator Abbas Araqchi said. “All differences are serious and we are trying to reduce these differences….. We are still hopeful and optimistic, but it is still soon to state if we will be able to obtain a solution on all issues or not.”
Zarif tweeted, “Iranians have already made their choice: Engage with dignity. It’s high time that the US and its allies were to choose between pressure and agreement.”