Iran, six powers continue nuclear negotiations in Vienna

Representatives from Iran and the P5+1 group are engaged in negotiations in the Austrian capital, Vienna, to hammer out a long-term deal over Tehran’s nuclear program.

On Wednesday, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China – plus Germany opened the second day of talks as part of their last round of negotiations to reach a nuclear agreement before the November 24 deadline.

The development comes a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Catherine Ashton, the chief negotiator of the six world powers, attended a working lunch and discussed how to advance the talks within the next days as the November 24 deadline approaches.

Iranian deputy foreign ministers also held separate talks with Chinese and US diplomats.

Zarif, who heads Iran’s negotiating team, lambasted what he termed as unhelpful red lines set by the six countries to satisfy pressure groups.

The chief Iranian diplomat further noted that Washington should accept the peaceful nature of Tehran’s nuclear activities, emphasizing that sanctions do not help resolve the issue.