WASHINGTON
Secretary of State John Kerry had a stern warning for Iran on Wednesday, less than a week before a final deadline for nuclear talks.
"It may be that the Iranians will not fill out the full measure of what was agreed to in Lausanne,” Kerry said at a joint press conference with Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. "In which case, there will not be an agreement.
"This will be determined in the last days by whether or not the outstanding issues that we’ve been very clear about are in fact addressed. If they are not addressed there won’t be a deal," he added.
The comments come as America’s top diplomat prepares to travel to Vienna on June 26 to take part in the final leg of negotiations. It will be his first trip overseas since he broke his leg in a biking accident in Europe after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif.
Iran's parliament ratified legislation Tuesday that a nuclear deal with the P5+1 would be valid only if sanctions on the country are fully and immediately removed.
Also on Sunday, Iranian lawmakers approved a nuclear rights bill that bans international access to its military sites.
The bills present potential pitfalls to an agreement as negotiators from the P5+1 have been seeking a phased out approach to nuclear-related sanctions in tandem with Iran meeting its obligations under an accord, and have insisted that inspectors be given full access to the country, including Iran's military sites.
Negotiators have until June 30 to reach a final accord, but speculation has continued to mount that the talks could be extended beyond the deadline with significant progress on key issues still needed.
