Iran’s Zarif, US’s Kerry, EU’s Ashton Convene in New York
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – New York, which now hosts world leaders for an annual session of the UN General Assembly, brought together highest-ranking diplomats from Iran and the US as well as the outgoing EU foreign policy chief for talks on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, US Secretary of State John Kerry and the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton held a trilateral meeting in New York on Thursday night to assess the latest developments in the course of nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers.
The three top diplomats discussed the progress made during the ongoing nuclear talks and conferred on how to proceed with the negotiations, Press TV reported.
The nuclear talks between Iran and the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China restarted last week after a two-month hiatus.
The EU has been a kind of interlocutor for the six powers.
The negotiations parties are trying to hammer out a lasting agreement on Tehran’s nuclear case.
Ashton’s spokesman, Michael Mann, said on Wednesday that any headway Iran and six world powers could make in the negotiations in New York will greatly help them strike the long-awaited, comprehensive accord.
Iran and the six nations (known as G5+1, P5+1 or E3+3) on November 24, 2013, signed an interim nuclear deal in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Based on the interim deal, the world powers agreed to suspend some non-essential sanctions and to impose no new nuclear-related bans in return for Tehran's decision to freeze parts of its nuclear activities.
In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 in the hope of clinching a final deal.
