More High-Profile Meetings as Iran Nuclear Talks Continue in Vienna
VIENNA (Tasnim) – A decisive round of negotiations for clinching a final deal on Iran's nuclear energy program entered a new phase on Sunday with more ranking diplomats arriving in Vienna as an end-June deadline approaches.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry held another meeting in Vienna's Palais Coburg hotel this morning to speed up the process of drafting the text of a final nuclear deal.
On Sunday, the European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also joined the talks. The EU coordinates diplomacy with Iran on behalf of the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
Speaking to reporters, Mogherini said the talks are "tough", but there is "political will" to reach the long-awaited deal.
She also noted that it would be possible to proceed with the talks for a few more days beyond the deadline if it is necessary.
Iran's chief negotiator, Foreign Minister Zarif, is going to hold separate meetings with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and China's Deputy Foreign Minister Li Baodong this evening.
The Chinese diplomat told reporters upon arrival in Vienna that a comprehensive nuclear accord would be in the fundamental interests of peace and security in the region and the whole world.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (alternatively known as the P5+1 or E3+3) have been negotiating over the past 22 months to hammer out a lasting nuclear deal, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
On April 2, the two sides reached a framework nuclear agreement in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both committed to push for a final deal until the end of June.
