Fabius: France insists Iran nuclear deal within reach

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Monday rejected claims that his country had scuppered an agreement over Iran’s nuclear program and insisted that western powers and Tehran were “not far” from reaching a deal, Financial Times reported. On Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister indirectly blamed France for blocking the potential deal. Fabius said “We [France] are not closed country. We want a deal for regional and international security.” He added “France is neither isolated nor a country that follows the herd. It is independent and works for peace.” His comments came barely 24 hours after six world powers meeting with Iran in Geneva had failed to reach agreement over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, in what would have been the first such accord in a decade. The proposed deal involved Iran suspending key parts of its nuclear program, which many in the west fear is close to being able to produce a nuclear weapon, in return for relief from international sanctions. But, the differences after three days of talks underlined the obstacles in reaching a lasting agreement. Diplomats said that one of the two main sticking points was the Arak heavy water reactor southeast of Tehran. Western diplomats have long feared that the reactor could produce enough plutonium to allow Iran to create a nuclear bomb at a later date unless its operations are halted. John Kerry, US secretary of state, told a news conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday that Washington was “not in a race” to complete talks with Iran on its nuclear program and vowed to defend Washington’s regional allies against any threats. “Through diplomacy we have an absolute responsibility to pursue an agreement.” Negotiations between Iran and the six world powers, known as the five plus one talks, – together with France, these include the US, UK, Germany, China and Russia – are due to resume on November 20.