Iran's EC secretary blames Obama for troubled nuclear talks

Secretary of Iran's Expediency Council Mohsen Rezayee underlined that US President Barack Obama should settle the problems that he, himself, has created and have now brought the negotiations between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France) to a deadlock.
"Mr. Obama has created problems (sanctions against Iran) which should be settled by himself," Rezayee told reporters in Tehran on Monday.
Asked about the remarks made by the US officials present in the nuclear talks that sanctions against Iran would not be removed even if a final deal is struck, he said, "Iran's team of nuclear negotiators who take part in the talks within the framework of the Leader's guidelines, are serious about annulment of all sanctions."
"The problem now is the period of time for annulling the sanctions," Rezayee said.
His remarks came as informed sources in Vienna, where the nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers are underway, said that the two sides have agreed on extending the deadline for negotiations.
Informed sources told FNA that the Geneva agreement inked by Iran and the G5+1 in November 24 would be extended once more.
Sources said the talks have been extended until July 10, and the world powers have taken up to release $700 million of Iran's frozen assets on a monthly basis.
The foreign ministers of the G5+1 are expected to declare the issue in a statement in hours.
The 10th and last round of negotiations between Iran and six world powers is now underway in Vienna.
The 9th round of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 included two days of trilateral talks among Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU's Chief negotiator Catherine Ashton as well as an hour-long multilateral meeting between the Iranian and G5+1 top negotiators in the Omani capital on November 11 without any tangible results.
In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 after they failed to reach an agreement on a number of key issues.