WASHINGTON
Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers will be extended beyond a June 30 deadline because important issues remain unresolved, a White House spokesman said Monday.
"There are still some important unresolved issues in the negotiations," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "And these are not issues that can be resolved in the next 36 hours. It will require additional time."
Negotiations to curb Iranian nuclear program would continue for at least a couple of days after the deadline, Earnest said, but he did not indicate what issues have yet to be worked out.
He did say, however, that during the additional time negotiators would remain in Vienna to ensure that the Iranians "cooperate with the most intrusive set of inspections that have ever been imposed on a country's nuclear program".
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Iran that there would not be an agreement unless Iran fully complied with a framework agreed to in Swiss city of Lausanne on April 2.
While the U.S. pledges to lift sanctions on Iran in a step-by-step process in exchange for Iran’s compliance to allow comprehensive inspection of its nuclear program, Iranian leadership demands sanctions be lifted on the day parties sign an agreement.
Iran’s parliament approved a draft bill on Sunday banning inspections of military sites as part of a nuclear deal with world powers.
