Mohammad Javad Zarif Returns to Tehran for 'Consultation'

Amid sensitive negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 in Vienna, which continue on Friday, November 30, an Iranian source told AFP that Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, will return to Tehran on the same day, 'probably for consultation.' Hana Kavyani, a reporter from Radio Free Europe sent to Vienna, reports that Mr. Zarif met for the second time in two days with John Kerry, his American counterpart, and Catherine Ashton, the coordinator of the P5+1 group, in the city before noon on Friday. Philip Hammond, the British Foreign Secretary, has also arrived in Vienna and is scheduled to meet with Laurent Fabius, his French counterpart, and John Kerry in the afternoon. The intensive meetings and discussions between Iran and global powers in the Austrian capital continue just four days before the deadline for the nuclear negotiations. The latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group began on Tuesday in Vienna, with Iranian officials emphasizing that if the West seeks an agreement, it must 'set aside its excessive demands.' On the other hand, the United States and the European Union state that it is Iran that must decide, and the responsibility for any potential failure to reach an agreement will fall on the Islamic Republic. The Radio Free Europe reporter at the negotiation site indicates that Iran, the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany may agree on 'generalities' and extend discussions on the 'details of the final agreement' for an unspecified period. In this context, there are 'significant disagreements' in reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran, and the confirmation of uranium enrichment in Iran is seen as 'a deviation from U.S. policy.' The meeting between Zarif, Kerry, and Ashton has concluded.