Iran and 1+5 Nuclear Talks to Resume Next Week in Geneva

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, and a senior U.S. official have stated that Iran and the 1+5 countries will continue their nuclear negotiations next week. Mr. Zarif mentioned that the talks will also be held in Geneva, Switzerland. According to Fars News Agency, Mr. Zarif said on Monday, February 23, after the conclusion of the Geneva talks, that 'we still have a long way to go to reach a final agreement,' but added that 'some progress has been made on certain issues.' Reuters also reported, citing a senior U.S. official, that 'progress has been achieved on some matters.' Mr. Zarif emphasized that 'until there is an agreement on all issues, no agreement has been reached on any topic. Therefore, negotiations will continue.' According to the Iranian Foreign Minister, the talks next week will take place on the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva. Senior officials from the Iranian and U.S. Foreign Ministries concluded four days of intensive negotiations in Geneva from Friday to Monday. For the first time, the U.S. Secretary of Energy and the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization were also present at these talks. Previously, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, had stated that there are still 'serious differences' between the two countries, and the United States is prepared to leave the nuclear negotiations if Iran does not accept the conditions. Abbas Araqchi, one of Iran's nuclear negotiators, also stated that the two countries have not yet reached an agreement on 'key issues.' The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister added: 'The gap still exists, there are disagreements, all parties are negotiating seriously and decisively, but we have not yet found solutions to the main issues.'