As American officials met with allied and Iranian counterparts in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that all sides are closer than they’ve been in a long time on a nuclear deal. But they stressed it hasn’t been reached yet, CNN reports. “It’s important to exhaust the remedies and possibilities of diplomacy,” Kerry said from Washington. Kerry insisted the continuing talks represent “the initial stage of determining whether or not there’s a first step that can be taken.” Whether the ultimate result is Iran having access to peaceful nuclear energy is a long ways off; for now, Catherine Ashton and Mohammad Javad Zarif met in Geneva following what were described as “positive” discussions on Wednesday. A senior Iranian negotiator warned of a “lack of trust” following the inconclusive talks earlier this month. Abbas Araqchi told Iranian state TV that “as long as trust is not restored, we cannot continue constructive negotiations”. Mr Araqchi described Iran’s “right” to carry out uranium enrichment as “non-negotiable”.
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