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Iran, U.S. hold “constructive discussion” on Tehran’s nuclear program

8 August 2014 13:00 (UTC+04:00)
Iran, U.S. hold “constructive discussion” on Tehran’s nuclear program

By Sara Rajabova

The Iranian and the U.S. officials have held bilateral talks for the first time, after the extension of discussions on Tehran's nuclear energy program till November.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns in Geneva on August 7 to discuss ways to bridge the gaps in the course of talks over Tehran's nuclear work.

Washington hailed the bilateral nuclear talks with Iran, saying the officials had a "constructive discussion" about Tehran's nuclear program.

"It was, I would say, a constructive discussion," State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters in Washington.

Iran's nuclear negotiator, Araqchi said the centerpiece of recent bilateral talks between Iran and the U.S. were the sticking points remaining in Tehran's ongoing negotiations with the P5+1 group, Press TV reported.

Araqchi added that the Iranian and American delegations also discussed how Tehran and the six world powers - the U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - could bridge their differences and reach common ground in their efforts to ink a permanent nuclear deal.

He further said Tehran is planning to hold a number of one-on-one meetings with other P5+1 members ahead of the UN General Assembly session in New York in late September.

Iran and the six countries need to hold "more detailed" talks in the form of bilateral meetings ahead of the next round of their nuclear negotiations, Araqchi added.

Iran and its six negotiating partners are holding talks to reach a final agreement aimed at resolving the standoff over Tehran's civilian nuclear work.

The two sides signed a historic interim deal in Geneva last November. The agreement went into force on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20.

In July, Tehran and the six states agreed to extend their discussions until November 24 in a bid to work out a final accord.

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