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                 Iran, US at Odds Over Nuclear Sanctions Relief

   by Pamela Dockins

   Iran's concerns about its perceived lack of sanctions relief and
   Syria's faltering political talks will be focal points for Secretary of
   State John Kerry when he sits down for talks Tuesday with his Iranian
   counterpart.

   Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet in
   New York, at the start of a trip for Kerry that will include stops in
   Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

   Iranian officials have complained that their country is not getting the
   sanctions relief specified in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
   (JCPOA), the landmark nuclear agreement that was implemented in
   January.

   "All of the countries should take necessary measures to remove the
   obstacles to the implementation of the nuclear deal," Zarif said at a
   Saturday news conference with EU foreign policy chief Federica
   Mogherini.

   "We have seen the Americans' attitude, so we will put some pressure on
   them, so should the EU, to pave the way for cooperation between the
   non-U.S. banks and Iran," he added.

   The U.S. has been "fulfilling" its commitment to the JCPOA, said White
   House spokesman John Earnest on Friday. He said giving Iran access to
   the U.S. financial system was "not part of the deal."

   At the State Department on Monday, spokesman John Kirby acknowledged
   that he expects the sanctions issue to be on Tuesday's agenda for Kerry
   and Zarif.

   "We are obviously aware of the concerns that they have expressed about
   the status of sanctions relief, and the secretary is very mindful that
   this topic will come up," he said.

   Syrian setbacks

   Their meeting also comes at a time when the U.N.-facilitated process
   for a political transition in Syria appears to be showing signs of
   fray.

   The Syrian opposition announced that it has postponed its participation
   in the political talks because of what it says are the Syrian
   government's cease-fire violations.

   The two sides have been holding indirect talks in Geneva.

   Iran supports the Syrian government while the U.S. has supported the
   moderate opposition. But Tehran and Washington are part of the
   International Syria Support Group, which has been backing the process
   for a political transition.

   After his meeting with Zarif, Kerry travels to Cairo, where he will
   discuss bilateral and regional issues with officials including
   President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

   He then will join U.S. President Barack Obama in Riyadh for a Gulf
   Cooperation Council summit.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/iran-us-nuclear-sanctions-relief-kerr
   y-zarif/3291207.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/iran-us-nuclear-sanctions-relief-kerry-zarif/3291207.html