Zarif: Bilateral Nuclear Negotiations to Take Place on the Sidelines of Munich Conference

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, announced on Thursday night that he is set to meet with all parties involved in the nuclear negotiations bilaterally on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. According to the IRNA news agency, Zarif stated that these discussions will begin on Friday afternoon, February 6, upon his arrival in Munich. He noted that, apart from Russia and China, the remaining countries of the P5+1 group will be represented at the ministerial level in Munich. Munich will host the World Security Conference for three days starting Thursday. A U.S. State Department official previously announced that John Kerry and Javad Zarif, the foreign ministers of the U.S. and Iran, will meet in Munich on February 7 to discuss Tehran's nuclear file. A member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team warned on Wednesday, February 4, that if further sanctions against the country are approved, Iran's nuclear programs will continue, and the country will even activate 'more' centrifuges. According to the Islamic Republic's state news agency, Hamid Baidi Nejad referred to Iran and the P5+1's efforts to reach a 'comprehensive agreement' and added, 'It is clear that if an agreement is not reached, both sides can naturally revert to their previous positions.' U.S. President Barack Obama has reiterated that he will 'veto' new congressional sanctions against Iran, emphasizing that weakening diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute is a mistake in the current sensitive situation. Iran and the six global powers, which reached a six-month nuclear agreement last December, have twice extended the interim Geneva agreement due to the lack of a comprehensive nuclear understanding. The parties are expected to reach a 'political agreement' by March and finalize the nuclear agreement by July 1.