Iran, G5+1 Negotiating Key Details As Nuclear Talks Climax Nears
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – While senior diplomats of Iran and six world powers are holding negotiations on a long-awaited nuclear deal in Switzerland, new reports suggest the parties are close to agree on a deal with specific numbers that would form the basis of a long-term accord.
Negotiators from Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) launched a new round of nuclear talks in Lausanne on Thursday with the aim of reaching a lasting agreement on Tehran's peaceful nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry have been holding several bilateral meetings over the past days.
Other foreign ministers from the Group 5+1 (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3) are expected to join the Lausanne talks as well.
The parties have been working to agree on a preliminary framework accord by the end of March, to be followed by a comprehensive deal by June 30 that includes all technical details.
Meanwhile, Reuters on Saturday quoted officials familiar with the negotiations as saying that the two sides are close to agreement on a 2- or 3-page accord with numbers that would form the basis of a lasting deal.
The unnamed officials, however, cautioned that the parties still had not agreed on the framework of a deal and key details were still being hotly negotiated.