“We dismiss speculation about the nuclear talks and its details… . No other issues or non-nuclear ones are being mooted in the negotiations,” Marziyeh Afkham said in her weekly press conference in Tehran on Wednesday.
Her comments came while Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) are in talks to hammer out a final agreement to end more than a decade of impasse over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
Afkham said talks are underway to hold “bilateral and multilateral” negotiations between Iran and the other parties or even to launch “plenary talks” before the end of this Iranian year (March 20).
She expressed the hope that bilateral talks would kick off soon.
Bilateral talks are part of regular meetings between Iran and the six powers (alternatively known as the P5+1 or E3+3).
The spokeswoman also made it clear that any possible agreement on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program will be definitely implemented in a single stage, saying, “The deal will certainly not be two-phased.”
She added that Iran and the Group 5+1 want a "political understanding" (not agreement) by the end of March.
In November 2013, the two sides signed an interim deal –the Joint Plan of Action- in Geneva that took effect on January 20, 2014 and expired six months later. They later extended the deal until November 24, 2014.
After failing to hammer out a lasting accord by the self-imposed November 24 deadline, the parties once again decided to extend the deadline more seven for months.