Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of States John Kerry sat down at the negotiating table on Sunday at 10:30 AM Vienna time (1:00 PM Tehran time) in their 11th meeting since last week to work on the text of a possible agreement over Tehran's nuclear program.
Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi, US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, deputy FMs Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Majid Takht-ravanchi as well as US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and the EU Deputy Foreign Policy Chief Helga Schmid are also accompanying the two countries foreign ministers in todays nuclear talks.
This comes as there is merely three more days left to the extended seven days the two sides agreed uponafter the self-imposed June 30 deadline.
Both sides have shown optimism that a nuclear agreement is within reach.
Meanwhile, British and French foreignministers as well as the EU foreign policy chiefFederica Mogheriniwill return to Palais Coburg in Vienna to review the latest progress in drafting the text of a comprehensive deal with their counterparts.
Iranian Deputy FMs Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi also held talks with Helga Schmid until early hours of Sunday in an attempt to remove the remaining brackets and loose ends in the text of a possible nuclear deal.
Araghchi said during a live program from Vienna broadcast by IRIB on Saturday that Iran needed to find a formula that would terminate sanctions before undertaking any of its owncommitments.
Of course the other side expects us to make preparations first and then they would lift the sanctions; this is one of the important issues still being discussed, he said.
While both sides are trying to meet the July 7 deadline, Iran is not bound bythe date,Araghchisaid, adding that Tehran will not accept a bad deal and is looking for an agreement that respects itsred lines and the Iranian nations rights.
By Mehr News Agency
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