Iran, US: Hard Work Needed in Nuclear Talks (+Video)
VIENNA (Tasnim) – Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry said in order for a comprehensive nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers to be finalized, the two sides need to work hard.
The two top diplomats talked to reporters in front of Vienna's Palais Coburg hotel on Saturday before a meeting to discuss the latest status of nuclear talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
"We have a lot of hard work to do. We have some very tough issues, and I think we all look forward to getting down to the final effort here to see whether or not a deal is possible," Kerry told reporters. "I think – I think that everybody would like to see an agreement, but we have to work through some difficult issues”.
Meantime, Iran's Zarif said, "Well, I agree. I agree maybe not on the issues, but on the fact that we need to work really hard in order to be able to make progress and move forward. We're determined to do everything we can in order to be able to make this important milestone, but that depends on a lot of things and we're going to work on them."
Foreign ministers of the other negotiating parties are also expected to join the talks in Vienna in a final push to hammer out a lasting nuclear deal, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Ranking diplomats and experts have been holding regular meetings in Vienna since June 17 to draft the text of the long-awaited deal.
On April 2, Iran and the six nations reached a framework nuclear agreement in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for the final deal until the end of June.