Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

On the eve of another round of nuclear talks between Iran and the group of six major world powers, 36 US senators have urged the European Union to cut off Iran's access to its euro foreign exchange reserves.

The senators urged the EU to close 'a significant loophole in U.S.-EU sanctions policy' with a view to increase pressure on Iran.

"We strongly urge you to take all the necessary measures to cut off Iran's ability to use its foreign-held euro," the letter addressed to the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy on Monday says.

They urged the EU to deny Iran access to Target2, Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross settlement Express Transfer system operated by the European Central Bank, which allegedly is being used to facilitate Iran's trade transactions.

Meanwhile, the next round of the negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany is set to begin in Kazakhstan later on Tuesday.

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili is heading the Iranian negotiating delegation.

The P5+1 representatives are led by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. The talks between Iran and the P5+1 group will cover a wide range of issues including Iran's nuclear energy program.

At the fresh round of talks to be held in Almaty, the P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States plus Germany -- are expected to offer Iran some sanctions relief, if Tehran agrees to curb its nuclear program, a US official said on Monday.

They also plan to present Iran with an offer to ease gold and petrochemicals banking sanctions during the talks in Kazakhstan.

However, Iran has indicated that this will not be enough.

The international community expects the P5+1 group's constructive, logical and reliable answers to Iran's comprehensive proposals presented during the meeting in 2012, Jalili said at a meeting with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Almaty on Monday.

Iran and the P5+1 group have held several rounds of talks with the main focus on Iran's nuclear energy program. The last round of negotiations was held in Moscow in June 2012.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. Iran has rejected the allegations.

In 2012, Washington and the EU imposed several rounds of unilateral sanctions against Tehran.