Iranian talks

No deal on Iran nuclear program, talks to resume shortly

No result has been reached during the latest round of minister-level talks between Iran and six world powers, according to reports. The highly anticipated breakthrough was obstructed by doubts of some of the negotiators over Iran’s true intentions.

RT,

10 November, 2013

"From the start, France wanted an agreement to the important question of Iran's nuclear program,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters after the meeting. ”The Geneva meeting allowed us to advance, but we were not able to conclude because there are still some questions to be addressed." 

The sides have managed to agree on a basis for further negotiations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"A foundation for joint work has been created to define the parameters of the Iranian nuclear issue settlement based on meeting the phased approach and reciprocity requirements," Lavrov said. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has expressed his satisfaction with three “very productive” days of talks and was hopeful that Iran and the six world powers will be able to reach a deal at the next meeting.

“We had a very good, very productive three days, and now we have something we can build on,” Zarif said. 

The process was “long and interesting," according to the US Secretary of State, but a "very productive one.” Kerry also said that the US understands and respects the “very strong feelings” of friends and allies of Iran.

Despite failing to reach an agreement, Kerry said the negotiators "not only narrowed the differences ... but we made significant progress." 

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) gestures next to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton (R) during a meeting on the third day of talks on Iran's nuclear program on November 9, 2013 in Geneva (AFP Photo)

The next round of talks is scheduled for November 20, according to the European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Earlier on Saturday, Fabius warned his colleagues not to be fooled by Iran’s proposals saying that while “the initial text [of the proposal] made progress,” there were still a couple of unsatisfying points. 

The latest round of talks began on Thursday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov unexpectedly arriving to join the high-profile negotiations on Friday and Saturday respectively.

Although the talks brought no immediate results, the diplomats are ready to get back to the negotiating table within a few weeks. 

The calls by the P5 + 1 group for Iran to halt further enrichment activities were among the main sticking points in revived negotiations that kicked off after the Iranian President’s visit to the UN in New York this September.

The latest proposals on the table require that Iran transfers part of its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium to a third country under IAEA custody. The international community also mulled demanding suspension of all operations at the Fordow facility. In addition, the negotiating team requested more transparency from Tehran in addressing allegations of possible military activities, that Tehran has repeatedly denied.

In return, the P5 +1 group are offering a phased relief from sanctions on precious metals and petrochemicals that have been crippling Iran’s economy for decades. P5 + 1 offered to provide fuel assemblies for the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) with the support of IAEA to maintain safety. The group is also offering to provide medical isotopes for cancer patients and cooperate in acquiring light water research reactor to produce medical isotopes. The US meanwhile offered maintenance assistance for the Iranian aviation industry, which too has suffered as a result of sanctions. As part of the discussed deal the international community promised not to introduce any new proliferation related sanctions.

Meanwhile, Israel opposed any sort of deal with Iran, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday condemning the Obama administration’s strategy as a “mistake of historic proportions.”