Senior diplomats from Iran and the United States held a fresh round of bilateral talks in Geneva on Friday as part of efforts to narrow the remaining gaps in the broader nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the six major powers, with less than two months left before a deadline to reach a general understanding.
The talks at deputy foreign ministerial level will continue today. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry will join the discussions on Sunday and Monday.
Deputy Foreign Ministers Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi headed the Iranian delegation at Friday's talks, while the US delegation was led by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman. European Union political director Helga Schmid was also present at the talks.
Araqchi said on Thursday that on the fourth day of the negotiations, representatives of other members of the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) may join the talks, IRNA reported.
Meanwhile, US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters in her regular press briefing on Thursday that the talks between Iran and the US are mostly "over technical issues."
She said all parties are working toward achieving a basic framework by the end of March.
The European Union's External Action Service (EEAS) said in a statement on Friday that representatives of Iran and the P5+1 will hold talks in Geneva on Feb. 22 to seek a solution to Iran's nuclear program.
