"I am quite optimistic after discussions with Lady Ashton that we can in fact resolve this issue in time," Mohammad Javad Zarif said in Brussels on Monday after holding what he described as "good" talks with the outgoing European Union foreign policy chief.
"Given the readiness and political will that I see in all negotiating parties, I hope we can reach a resolution within the next three months," Zarif told reporters at a joint press conference with Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (alternatively known as P5+1 or E3+3) are in talks to reach a final agreement over Tehran’s nuclear energy program and the removal of unjustified sanctions against Iran.
Representatives from Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) are expected to hold a gathering on the sidelines of the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.
On July 18, after more than two weeks of intensive diplomatic negotiations in Vienna, the two sides agreed to continue talks for another four months.
The parties decided to extend the nuclear talks until November 24 in the hope of clinching a final deal. The four-month extension of the talks began on July 21.