Zarif to Meet with Foreign Ministers of the US, China, and Russia on Sunday

Intensive negotiations between Iranian officials and the members of the 1+5 group continued on Saturday, April 8, in Lausanne, Switzerland, and it is scheduled for Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, to meet with the foreign ministers of the United States, China, and Russia on Sunday. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, on the morning of Sunday, April 9, Mohammad Javad Zarif will continue his negotiations with John Kerry, the US Secretary of State. Following this, he will meet with the foreign ministers of China and Russia. Despite optimism about reaching an agreement by the set deadline of the end of March (Tuesday), both sides involved in these negotiations say that some fundamental issues remain unresolved. Reports indicate that with the arrival of the foreign ministers of France and Germany, as well as the EU's foreign policy chief, the prospect of reaching a nuclear agreement has increased. Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, stated in a conversation with reporters that we have never been this close to a nuclear agreement with Iran. However, Mohammad Javad Zarif commented on the negotiations on his Facebook page, stating that the nuclear talks in the past few days have been tough, heavy, and intense, and have become more complicated with the gradual arrival of the foreign ministers from the other 1+5 countries. He added, 'In addition to two rounds of negotiations with Mr. Kerry, we had serious but positive discussions with Mr. Steinmeier and Mr. Fabius, the foreign ministers of Germany and France. We have made progress towards acceptable solutions, but we still need to work on several important issues. The key to reaching an agreement is the strategic choice between pressure and sanctions or engagement and agreement by the other side.' Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, expressed hope in a phone call with Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, that the ongoing negotiations would lead to a comprehensive and final agreement on Iran's nuclear program. Hassan Rouhani stated in his phone conversation with Angela Merkel, 'We have reached sensitive days. Iran has shown the necessary flexibility in the negotiations, and now it is the other side's turn to take the final steps.' This comes as earlier on Saturday, CNN reported that an official American source stated that Iran is insisting on key points that may jeopardize reaching an understanding by the set deadline, which is April 11. Sergey Ryabkov, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, confirmed on Saturday evening in an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax that Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, is set to join the nuclear negotiations on Sunday. The TASS news agency reported, citing officials in the Iranian delegation in Lausanne, Switzerland, that Mohammad Javad Zarif is expected to meet and discuss with the foreign ministers of Russia and China on Sunday. With increasing optimism regarding reaching an agreement in the ongoing negotiations in Lausanne, a correspondent from Radio Farda reported that the Rolex training center in the city is currently being prepared for a press conference to announce a potential political agreement on nuclear issues between Iran and the 1+5 group. However, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's chief negotiator, stated that 'if a concluding meeting is to be held, we will go to the UN headquarters in Geneva.'