(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The White House late Tuesday released a brief statement and photograph showing President Barack Obama and his national security team in a teleconference with Secretary of State John Kerry as they discussed the progress toward a nuclear deal with Iran. "The President received an update on the current status of the negotiations from Secretaries Kerry and (Ernest) Moniz and other members of the negotiating team in Lausanne, Switzerland and thanked the team for their continuing efforts," National Security Council (NSC) Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said in the statement.
The meeting gathered Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, National Security Advisor Susan Rice, White House Counsel Neil Eggleston, Deputy National Security Advisor Avril Haines, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Benjamin Rhodes, National Security Advisor to the Vice President Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, and Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Region Phil Gordon.
It also gathered Katie Beirne Fallon, Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, Deputy to the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Jeremy Weinstein, Associate Counsel to the President Christopher Fonzone, NSC Senior Director for Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Gulf States Robert Malley, NSC Senior Director for Legislative Affairs Caroline Tess, and NSC Director for Iran Sahar Nowrouzzadeh.
Kerry and his team will be staying in Switzerland, now that the self-imposed March 31 midnight deadline has passed, because they appear to be close to a deal.
State Department Acting Spokesperson Marie Harf, who is traveling with Kerry, tweeted: "We've made enough progress in the last days to merit staying until Wednesday. There are several difficult issues still remaining."
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