Fresh round of Iran nuke talks to be held next week in Geneva: report

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif said on Monday that the next round of nuclear talks between Iranian negotiators and representatives of the P5+1 group will be held on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva next week, according to Iranian state media Press TV.

Another Iranian official media IRNA, citing a member of Iranian negotiating team, reported that the exact date would be next Monday, or March 2.

The scheduled fresh diplomatic efforts are preceded by the bilateral engagements between the United States and Iran that started from last Friday, and as well as Sunday talks between representatives from Iran and the P5+1 group, namely the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany, as participating sides strive to narrow remaining gaps for a solution to the decade-long standoff over Tehran's controversial nuclear program.

INTENSIVE NEGOTIATIONS

The talks between Iran and the P5+1 group on Sunday night were intensive, pragmatic and held in good atmosphere, said Wang Qun, Director-General of the Department of Arms Control of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Wang said that all sides had substantive negotiations over major issues at stakes.

In addition to the multilateral efforts, the United States and Iran started bilateral negotiations from last Friday, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Zarif joined the talks on Sunday which continued on Monday.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Iranian atomic energy head Ali Akbar Salehi, along with other senior officials from both sides, were also reportedly present at the talks.

Little details of the closed-door negotiations have been disclosed, while messages from both sides showed that the presence of Moniz and Salehi reflected that the current talks were very "technical".

Wang, head of the Chinese delegation, stressed that the negotiations were now at "a crucial juncture".

As the negotiations for the Iranian nuclear program is coming to an end, detailed issues become more prominent and challenges are mounting, which will make the political resolution imperative and even more urgent, Wang noted.

He highlighted that how to manage both the political and technical issues, and how to show political decisiveness at a crucial juncture matter the most.

Wang reaffirmed that China hopes all sides will strengthen confidence, invest efforts and inject more political impetus into the talks, to facilitate the achievement of a win-win comprehensive agreement.

PROGRESS ACHIEVED BUT GAPS REMAIN

Zarif told Iranian media on Monday in the Swiss city that during the past days, Iran had "serious, useful and constructive talks" with the participating sides, and "some progress" was made on certain issues, but "we have a long way ahead to reach a final agreement".

Kerry reportedly said the similar words to the American delegation after the talks.

No details have been revealed with regard to the exact contents of the progress achieved.

Meanwhile, Kerry warned in London on Saturday prior to heading to Geneva that "there are still significant gaps, there is still a distance to travel."

The U.S. top diplomat said that "U.S. President Barack Obama is fully prepared to stop these talks if he feels that they're not being met with the kind of productive decision making necessary to prove that a program is, in fact, peaceful."

In response, Iranian senior negotiator Abbas Araqchi told Iranian media earlier on Monday that "if the other party wants to impose their wills at the cost of diplomatic means, we will not hesitate to leave the negotiating table."

Araqchi reportedly said that political pressures and the media hype have not forced Iran to change its position and give up its demand.

After Monday's talks, Zarif emphasized that "as long as an agreement is not reached on all issues, there will be no agreement on individual topics."

It has been over a year since Iran and the world major countries agreed to come back to the negotiating table for the Iranian nuclear program in 2013. However, wide differences have kept all talking sides from arriving at a final deal.

Under an interim deal between Iran and the P5+1 inked in November, 2013, Iran said it would suspend critical nuclear activities in return for limited ease of sanctions, with all sides seeking a comprehensive deal.

After missing twice self-imposed deadlines, the negotiators agreed in November 2014 to extend the deadline for another seven months and aimed to reach a political framework deal by the end of March. Enditem