Brussels: Six world powers and Iran will hold new talks in New York on September 18, EU officials said on Thursday, as efforts intensify toward clinching a nuclear deal ahead of a November deadline.
The talks involving the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany and led by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton “will continue in New York as of September 18”, Ashton spokesman Michael Mann said.
An EU source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the talks would be held at the level of political directors.
Mann said the talks in New York, which typically take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, would be preceded by similar but smaller groupings of officials in both Geneva and Vienna.
Talks were due to begin on Thursday in Geneva between senior US and Iranian officials while he added that France, Britain and Germany would hold a separate round of talks with Iran at the political directors level on September 11 in Vienna.
Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he had had “good discussions” with Ashton in Brussels and Tehran was committed to an accord over its contested nuclear programme.
Iran ‘fairly optimistic’
Quoted by the Belga news agency, Zarif said he was “fairly optimistic” that Iran and the five permanent UN Security Council members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany could reach a deal by the November deadline.
Iran and the United States began bilateral nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, the second time the two sides have met since Iran and six world powers failed to meet a July 20 deadline to resolve differences in the long-standing dispute.
State news agency IRNA and a US official confirmed the talks were underway.
Iran and the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia have set a new deadline of November 24 to negotiate a comprehensive agreement under which Tehran would scale back its nuclear activities in exchange for gradually ending the sanctions that have crippled its oil-dependent economy.
“If there is good will and a constructive approach, we can reach a desired result before November 24,” IRNA quoted Iran’s deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi as saying late on Wednesday.
The United States last week penalised a number of Iranian and other foreign companies, banks and airlines for violating sanctions against Tehran, saying it was sending a signal that there should be no evasion of sanctions while talks continue.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday the sanctions were against the spirit of negotiations, but added he was not pessimistic about the viability of the talks.
Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman were in the US delegation at Thursday’s talks, which will last for two days, the State Department said in a statement.
Abbas Araghchi, one of Iran’s chief negotiators, is also at the discussions, which IRNA said would last until Saturday.
Western countries suspect Iran’s programme is aimed at seeking the capability to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its programme is peaceful.
