The deputy spokesperson for the US Department of State has said the interim nuclear deal between Iran and the major powers, which was signed late last year and came into effect in January, was a "significant achievement".
"If you look at where we are today, when we started the year Iran's nuclear program was not yet frozen, the JPOA (Joint Plan of Action -- the official name of the interim deal) had not yet gone into effect. We are sitting at the negotiating table seeing if we can get a comprehensive agreement, closer than we've ever been to a comprehensive agreement while their program is frozen for the first time in a decade.
That, I think, is a pretty significant achievement," Marie Harf said during a regular press briefing on Tuesday, according to a transcript of her remarks posted on the website of the State Department.
Under the Geneva deal, Iran agreed to accept temporary constraints on its nuclear activities in exchange for limited sanctions relief.
Iran and the major powers are in talks to build on the preliminary accord to work out a final nuclear deal by a self-imposed deadline of June 30, 2015.
