Zarif: Good Chance for Iran Deal

Local Editor

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Monday he saw a good chance of reaching a final agreement with six world powers on Iran's nuclear program by a June 30 deadline or a few days later, provided there was political will.

Iran and the six powers - Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the United States - are trying to clinch a deal to restrict Iran's nuclear program for at least a decade in exchange for relief from sanctions.

"I believe ... that if there is political will to accept the realities and move forward based on what we agreed in Lausanne, then there is a good possibility we can finish this by the deadline, or a few days after the deadline," Zarif said after talks with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Britain.

He was referring to a framework agreement reached in Lausanne, Switzerland, in April.

Zarif held separate talks in Luxembourg with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany and then they all met together with Mogherini. "We discussed how we can expedite the discussions in Vienna for the next few difficult days," he said.

Iranian news agencies quoted Zarif earlier as saying it was worth missing the June 30 deadline by a few days to get a good deal.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said talks at official level were making progress but there were "a number of different areas where we have not reached full agreement."

For his part, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius stressed, "France wants an agreement, but a strong agreement, not a bad agreement."

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier underscored that the talks were entering a "very decisive period." "We must hope that the Iranians move on decisive points and that we come to a close," he said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team