US official says parties can still walk away from Iran deal, sequencing will be key

The US and Iran can walk away from a preliminary accord set to be signed on Friday, with upcoming talks focusing on the precise sequencing of the agreement's steps.

‌Both Iran ​and the U.S. can walk away from the memorandum of understanding ‌they are set to sign on Friday, and upcoming talks are likely to focus on the precise sequencing of ‌the steps previewed in the preliminary accord, a ‌senior U.S. official told reporters on Wednesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official read out the 14-point memorandum that is ⁠due ​to be ⁠formally signed in Switzerland. They said the upcoming meeting there ⁠will be "critical" for ensuring that the memorandum of understanding ​can evolve into a comprehensive agreement. "I think the meeting ⁠in Switzerland will be quite critical in order to really ⁠see ​how we get to the next phase," a senior U.S. official said. The document, as read ⁠out by the official, was similar to the 14-point memorandum ⁠that various ⁠media outlets, including Reuters, had already reported on earlier in the day.