Iran, P5+1 still divided over main issues
By Sara Rajabova
Iran and six world powers have just wrapped up a decisive round of nuclear talks with no tangible results.
Officials from the countries involved in the nuclear negotiations say some progress was made in the talks, however, others believe that there still deep disagreements over main issues.
Representatives of Iran and the six states wrapped up their eighth round of negotiations on Tehran's nuclear energy program in Vienna on October 16. The talks which began on October 14 were led by Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif and EU Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said some progress was made in the "very difficult" nuclear talks with the P5+1 group - the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - in all fields. He also added that the sides still need serious discussions over various issues.
However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov's was not hopeful after the talks. He said the main issues concerning Iran's nuclear program, including transparency and the duration of the agreement, remain unresolved, Russian media reported.
He noted that the three blocks of questions - uranium enrichment, the future of the Arak nuclear reactor, the lifting of sanctions - are still not worked out, adding there is an array of issues that cannot be considered fully resolved yet and thus cannot be laid out on paper.
Ryabkov said there is some slow progress on the issues of sanctions and enrichment, noting that this is insufficient.
Earlier he noted that every time a deadline for signing a comprehensive agreement on Iran's nuclear program is extended, the risk of the talks' failure increases.
However, this time none of the negotiating sides has found the extension of talks appropriate.
Zarif stated that Tehran and its negotiating partners are against extending a November 24 deadline for a final deal over Iran's nuclear program.
He said the sides will resume the nuclear talks within the next one or two weeks, while noting that no final decision on the exact day for is yet to be made. He also noted that he would meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Ashton in three to four weeks' time in a city other than Vienna.
Meanwhile, Iranian intelligence official said it has been prepared for all scenarios regarding the potential outcomes of negotiations with the six world powers.
Head of Iran's Intelligence Ministry's Center for Strategic Studies said since the talks with the P5+1 are likely to result in either agreement, extension or deadlock, the necessary strategies have been designed and they have plans for every one of them.
Regarding the statements of the two negotiating sides, it seems they are eager to bridge the gaps, however, they still cannot or don't want to compromise over the main issues.
The current trend has raised doubts about reaching a final deal by the November 24 deadline.
Iran and the six powers are in talks to work out a final agreement aimed at ending the longstanding dispute over Tehran's nuclear energy program.
The negotiations are centered on curbing Iran's atomic activity, which Tehran says is peaceful but the West fears may be aimed at developing nuclear weapons capability, in exchange for lifting sanctions.
Last November, the two sides clinched an interim nuclear accord, which took effect on January 20 and expired six months later. However, they agreed to extend their talks until November 24 as they remained divided on a number of key issues.