Iran Nuclear Talks to Go On Until June 30 Deadline
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A fresh round of diplomatic negotiations to draft the text of a comprehensive deal on Tehran's nuclear energy program starts in Austria today and will continue steadily until the self-imposed deadline of June 30.
Top Iranian negotiators and deputies to foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht Ravanchi, held meetings with European Union Deputy Foreign Policy Chief Helga Schmid in Vienna.
The EU coordinates diplomacy with Iran on behalf of the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, France, US, Britain, and Germany).
Iran and the six powers are negotiating to hammer out a lasting accord that would end more than a decade of impasse over Tehran's civilian nuclear program.
On April 2, the two sides reached a framework nuclear agreement in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for a final deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), until the end of June.
Speaking to reporters before leaving Tehran on Tuesday, Araqchi said the Iranian team will stay in Vienna until end of June to tie up some loose ends and “reduce the number of parentheses in the text” of the comprehensive accord.
Although June 30 has been set as a deadline for striking the deal, the negotiations might continue for some more days beyond that date, he added, noting, “What matters to us is a favorable deal which observes the Iranian nation’s rights and supplies our demands.”
He noted that the more sensitive difference and key issues will be left for the final days, when ministers join the talks for making decisions at a higher level.
