Zarif, Ashton, Burns Meet on 3rd Day of Vienna Nuclear Talks

The three diplomats met at Vienna’s Hotel Palais Coburg on the third day of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - China, Russia, Britain, France, and the United States - plus Germany) over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program.

Meanwhile, media reports said US Secretary of State John Kerry and foreign ministers of other members of the G5+1 are set to join the negotiations.

Representatives of the two sides are engaged in negotiations in Vienna to hammer out a long-term deal over Tehran’s civil nuclear program.

Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity and the time-table for the removal of sanctions are said to be the main stumbling blocks in the negotiations.

Tehran wants the sanctions entirely lifted while Washington, under pressure from the pro-Israeli lobby, insists that at least the UN-imposed sanctions should remain in place.

On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers is within reach provided that the other side raises no excessive demands.

“If the other side in the nuclear talks has the political will and avoids excessive demands, the conditions are ready for (the two sides) to reach an agreement,” Rouhani said.

Iran and the G5+1 (alternatively known as P5+1 or E3+3) clinched a landmark interim deal in the Swiss city of Geneva on November 24, 2013.

Under the Geneva deal, dubbed the Joint Plan of Action, the six countries undertook to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for the Islamic Republic agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities during a six-month period.

The Geneva Agreement expired in July, when the parties decided to extend negotiations until November 24 in the hope of clinching a final accord.