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ByGeorgeJahn TheAssociatedPress VIENNA A day before the new deadline for a nuclear accord, Iran pushed on Monday for an end to the U.N. arms embargo on the country — a parallel deal that the United States op- poses as it seeks to limit Tehran's Mideast power and influence. Speaking on the eve of an already-extended target date for a complete agree- ment, a senior Iranian offi- cial and a U.S. official said Iran and the six world pow- ers it is negotiating with are also working on a U.N. res- olution that would endorse any future nuclear deal. Lifting the arms embargo would be separate from a long-term accord that fore- sees limits on Iran's nuclear programs in exchange for relief from crippling eco- nomic sanctions on the Is- lamic Republic. But Iran also sees existing U.N. res- olutions affecting Iran's nu- clear program and the ac- companying sanctions as unjust and illegal. It has in- sisted that those resolutions be lifted since the start of international negotiations nearly a decade ago to limit its nuclear-arms making ca- pability. After world powers and Iran reached a framework pact in April, the U.S. said "important restrictions on conventional arms and bal- listic missiles" would be in- corporated in any new U.N. guidelines for Iran. It also said "a new U.N. Security Council resolution ... will endorse" any deal. Negotiators and some foreign ministers of the six world powers plus Iran gathered in Vienna to com- plete a comprehensive nu- clear deal by June 30. When they couldn't reach agree- ment by then, they agreed to extend the deadline to July 7. But many core issues remain, and an announce- ment on Tuesday is unlikely. While the discussions have been focused on ura- nium stockpiles and the timing for lifting economic sanctions, Iran's longstand- ing desire to have the arms embargo lifted at the sign- ing of a deal is another wrinkle thrown into the mix. Russia and China have expressed support for lift- ing the embargo, which was imposed in 2007 as part of a series of penalties over Iran's nuclear program. But the U.S. doesn't want the arms ban ended be- cause it could allow Teh- ran to expand its military assistance for Syrian Pres- ident Bashar Assad's em- battled government, for the Houthi rebels in Ye- men and for Hezbollah in Lebanon. It also would in- crease already strong oppo- sition to the deal in Con- gress and in Israel. Lifting the embargo is one of the important issues being discussed, the Ira- nian official said. "There should not be any place for the arms embargo." The Iranian official briefed reporters on the condition that he not be named. The U.S. official spoke on condition of ano- nymity because the official wasn't authorized to dis- cuss the talks publicly. Iran wants to have a hand in shaping any Secu- rity Council resolution en- dorsing a comprehensive nuclear deal, the Iranian official added. He offered no details, but said Iran is interested in wording that shifts the critical tone of previous resolutions passed over Tehran's nuclear pro- gram. NEGOTIATIONS Iranseeksendtoarmsembargo CARLOSBARRIA—POOLPHOTO U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, le , talks with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, right, as they meet with foreign ministers from China, Germany and France at an hotel in Vienna, Austria, on Monday. By Josh Lederman The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Barack Obama portrayed the U.S.-led coalition Mon- day as gaining ground against the Islamic State amid an expanded U.S. effort and ample signs of progress, but conceded more difficulties ahead in fighting what he described as a nimble and opportu- nistic enemy. "We're starting to see some progress," the pres- ident said during a rare visit to the Pentagon, tick- ing off a list of towns in Iraq and Syria he said had been wrested from IS con- trol in recent weeks. Flanked by top mili- tary commanders, Obama also warned of the Is- lamic State's efforts to re- cruit and inspire vulner- able people in the United States, and called on the American-Muslim commu- nity to "step up in terms of pushing back as hard as they can." He said that while the U.S. is now better prepared to thwart large- scale terrorist attacks like 9/11, the threat from in- dividual "lone wolves" or small terrorist cells has increased. "We're going to have to pick up our game to pre- vent these attacks," Obama said. The Pentagon visit fol- lowed a wave of weekend airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition in eastern Syria — one of the most sus- tained aerial operations carried out in Syria to date, the U.S.-led coalition said. Obama pointed to those and other airstrikes as proof of an intensified U.S. effort to undermine the militant group's base of operations and cut off their sources of funding. Obama's afternoon visit to the Pentagon offered a public display of presi- dential support for the military one day before Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey were expected to be grilled on Capitol Hill. Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., has sharply criti- cized Obama for not doing more militarily to defeat IS, and said Monday that the U.S. is losing the bat- tle as the extremist group continues to gain territory in Iraq and Syria. "President Obama's comments today reveal the disturbing degree of self- delusion that characterizes the administration's cam- paign against ISIL," Mc- Cain said. Although the president said there were "no cur- rent plans" to send more U.S. troops to Iraq, he did not rule out that possibil- ity in the future. Obama has vowed to keep Amer- ican service members out of direct combat, but has sent more than 3,000 U.S. troops to advise and as- sist the beleaguered Iraqi military — including the deployment of 450 addi- tional service members an- nounced last month. WAR ON TERRORISM Touting progress, Obama says IS is losing ground JACQUELYN MARTIN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS President Barack Obama speaks at the Pentagon on Monday. By Patrick Whittle The Associated Press PORTLAND, MAINE The mother of a man who tried to launch a firework off the top of his head for July Fourth and was killed in- stantly said Monday she's advocating for stricter con- trols about who can use the explosives. Devon Staples, 22, and his friends had been drink- ing and setting off fire- works Saturday night in a backyard in Staples' east- ern Maine hometown, Cal- ais, when the accident hap- pened with a reloadable fireworks mortar tube, po- lice have said. Staples' mother, Kath- leen Staples, said she is go- ing to reach out to lawmak- ers about the possibility of tighter controls over fire- works. The state should con- sider requiring safety train- ing courses before allowing someone to use them, she said. She compared fire- works with other regulated items such as cars and guns. "At least it'd be a little bit more than, 'Here you go,'" Staples said. "That's an ex- plosive. They didn't just hand me a license and put me in the car." Devon Staples also had lived in the Orlando, Flor- ida, area, where he worked as a performer portraying Disney characters such as Gaston from "Beauty and the Beast" and Goofy, his mother said. She said he believed the firework was "a dud" that was unlikely to hurt him. State Fire Marshal Joe Thomas said that is un- likely because the mortar had been fired once previ- ously and he "can't imagine someone would anticipate that it was a dud." Staples' death is the first fireworks fatality in Maine since it legalized fireworks on Jan. 1, 2012, authorities said. Lawmakers had voted to repeal a 1949 law ban- ning fireworks, reasoning the industry would create jobs and generate revenue. Democratic Rep. Michel Lajoie, a retired fire chief who has pushed to repeal Maine's fireworks law in the past, said Monday that he's considering trying to intro- duce another measure next year but acknowledged it faces long odds. MAINE Mo m of m an w ho d ie d in fi re wo rk s ur ge s co nt ro ls | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2015 8 A