Iran rejects Obama’s 10-year proposal

Iran yesterday rejected as “unacceptable” US President Barack Obama’s demand that it freeze sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years, but said it would continue talks aimed at securing a deal, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported.

“Iran will not accept excessive and illogical demands,” Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Fars. “Obama’s stance ... is expressed in unacceptable and threatening phrases ... ”, he reportedly said, adding that negotiations underway in Switzerland would nonetheless carry on.

Zarif and US secretary of state John Kerry sat down for a second day of meetings hours after Obama had told Reuters that Iran must commit to a verifiable halt of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear work for a landmark atomic deal to be reached.