A top Iranian nuclear negotiator says Iran and the P5+1 can reach a final nuclear deal before the expiry of the four-month extension of talks between the two sides if the six countries acknowledge Tehran’s rights.
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Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said on Friday that Iran and its opposite side have made “good progress” in their negotiations over the past six months, adding that an agreement is possible before the November 24 deadline.
He, however, admitted that major differences still remain between the two sides.
“There is always the possibility of reaching an agreement on the condition that the opposite side recognizes the Iranian nation’s nuclear rights,” he said. Araqchi said that safeguarding Iran’s rights is the main priority in the course of negotiations.
Both sides have demonstrated the political will to reach an agreement, he said, adding that the P5+1 has come to the conclusion that there is no solution but talks to end the dispute over Iran’s nuclear energy program.
The six countries have exhausted all other options over Tehran’s nuclear program and now they are serious to settle the dispute through negotiations, the diplomat said.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany are to resume their negotiations to discuss ways to reach a final agreement over Tehran’s nuclear energy program in September. Iran's right to enrich uranium is among the bones of contention between the two sides.
They had clinched a landmark interim deal in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 23, 2013. The agreement took effect on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20.
In July, the two sides agreed on the extension of their discussions until November 24 in an effort to achieve a permanent nuclear deal. /SR
