Iran-Sextet Nuclear Talks to Resume in Vienna on June 16
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior member of the Iranian team engaged in the talks with six world powers over the country's nuclear program said the next round of talks will be held again in the Austrian capital, Vienna, in mid June.
“The next round of negotiations between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) will be held from June 16 to June 20 in Vienna, Austria,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi announced.
Iran and the world powers wrapped up the latest round of their nuclear talks in Vienna on May 16. The negotiations, aimed at drafting the text of an ultimate accord, came to an end without any tangible results.
Both sides made clear the talks were an uphill struggle. Diplomats from the two sides said positions remain far apart on several issue.
For the first time since the six powers and Iran began negotiating on a long-term deal in Vienna in February, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who speaks on behalf of the six powers, and Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif chose not to appear for a joint news conference at the end of the talks.
Earlier and in a television talk show on Saturday night, Araqchi had insisted that the sextet of world powers should abandon “the language of threat” in dealing with Iran’s peaceful nuclear case.
He made a reference to an interim nuclear deal between Tehran and the Group 5+1, and said, “The other side has so far made tough decisions so that we have reached this point, when they made the tough decision of relinquishing zero-percent (uranium) enrichment in the Geneva deal.”
Araqchi made clear that the negotiating parties are trying to reach a consensus, but also underlined that the world powers “once again have to make tough decisions.”
“Our (nuclear) rights should be respected. We seek an agreement which recognizes our nation’s rights, and we will not accept any other deal.”
