Iran under No Time Pressure in Nuclear Talks: Negotiator


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior Iranian negotiator expressed the hope that Tehran and world powers would reach a comprehensive deal before the self-imposed deadline, but at the same time stressed that Iran sees no time limit for signing the long-awaited agreement.

Iran hopes that the other side would avoid taking extreme stances in the talks and endeavor to clinch the final deal before the June 30 deadline, Majid Takht Ravanchi said on Monday.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting Austrian Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs Michael Linhart in Tehran.

Takht Ravanchi, who is also a deputy foreign minister, stated, however, that his country is not under any time pressure and is looking for a deal that includes all of its rights.

Linhart, for his part, expressed optimism that Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France, and Germany) would agree on the final nuclear accord, saying that securing such an agreement is necessary.

Iran and Group 5+1 (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3) have been negotiating to hammer out a lasting accord that would end more than a decade of impasse over Tehran's peaceful nuclear program.

On April 2, the two sides reached a framework nuclear agreement after more than a week of intensive negotiations in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for a final, comprehensive accord until the end of June.