Obama Told Negotiators to Ignore Deadline, Iran Talks Continue

Foreign Policy  . . . "The talks were scheduled to conclude on March 31 with a political framework, but the United States abandoned that notional deadline when it became clear that Iran was using it to its advantage. “They were turning our own deadline against us to see if we would give ground,” a senior U.S. official told the New York Times. President Obama told U.S. officials “to ignore the deadline, make it clear that the president was ready to walk away and leave all sanctions on Iran in place, and see if that would change the dynamic.” There were signs yesterday that Iran may be shifting its position to allow the phased lifting of sanctions under a deal, though differences persisted over the conditions under which they would be reimplemented if an agreement is violated. “We have made significant progress in the talks but still we have not agreed on the reviewed solutions,” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told reporters. Meetings will resume this morning. " . . .