U.S. State Department: Kerry and Zarif Discussed Nuclear Agreement

On Friday, October 2, the U.S. State Department announced that John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, met and discussed with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, regarding the implementation of the nuclear agreement in Vienna. According to Reuters, the meeting took place in New York on the sidelines of the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly. John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated in a statement on Friday that the foreign ministers of the U.S. and Iran met again before leaving New York that afternoon to further discuss the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). News outlets had previously reported that the meeting between John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif was not pre-scheduled, and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations announced it just hours before it took place. A diplomatic source told AFP that the meeting occurred at 5 PM local time at the UN headquarters in New York. According to the report, the schedule for the meeting between the Iranian and U.S. foreign ministers was set shortly before John Kerry was to leave New York for Washington. This was the second meeting between John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif in New York within the past week. The foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S. had met for the first time after the comprehensive nuclear agreement in Vienna on September 25. Iran and six world powers reached a comprehensive agreement to resolve the Islamic Republic's nuclear dispute on July 14 in Vienna. Under this agreement, known as the JCPOA, Iran's nuclear program is limited, and in return, most international sanctions against Tehran will be lifted. Meanwhile, according to Reuters, an Iranian official stated that John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif also discussed the Syrian crisis and Russian airstrikes against positions of armed groups opposing Bashar al-Assad. Russia began its airstrikes against positions of armed groups opposing the Assad government on Wednesday. The U.S. has criticized these attacks, and on Friday, President Barack Obama stated that Russia's airstrikes in support of the Assad government will only result in the removal of moderate opponents of the Syrian president and the strengthening of the Islamic State group. Meanwhile, Iran has previously supported Russia's airstrikes against armed opponents of Bashar al-Assad, deeming such attacks effective in combating 'terrorism' in the region.