US seeks more Iran sanctions ahead of deal
US LAWMAKERS said last night they aimed to tighten sanctions on Iran to prevent Washington giving away too much in a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme that diplomats said was still possible despite the failure of high-level weekend talks.
Negotiators from world powers will resume talks with Iran in 10 days after failing late on Saturday to reach agreement on an initial proposal to ease international sanctions against Tehran in return for some restraints on its nuclear programme.
The new talks will be at a lower level than the foreign ministers who gathered in Geneva at the weekend, but foreign secretary William Hague said there was a good chance of the negotiations producing a deal within the next few weeks after making “a lot of progress”, while noting any deal would inevitably not please everyone.
Meanwhile an unidentified attacker shot dead Iranian Deputy Industries Minister Safdar Rahmat Abadi in Tehran yesterday evening, the state news agency IRNA reported.
It said the minister had been shot in the head and chest as he got into his car in the east of the capital.