Iranian FM confirms Apr 13 for P5+1 group nuke talks

PanARMENIAN.Net - Long-stalled talks between Iran and world powers are to be revived on April 13 at a place yet to be agreed, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announced on Wednesday, March 28, according to AFP.

"The date has been set, but the negotiations for the venue are still ongoing," Salehi told AFP. "Turkey has announced its readiness to host the talks, and my personal priority is Istanbul," he added.

The talks carry hopes of defusing a tense international showdown over Iran's nuclear activities that has sent oil prices soaring.

Israel has brandished the threat of possible military action against Iran's nuclear sites, while the United States has put its energies into sanctions and diplomacy but has not ruled out the military option.

Salehi made his announcement as he welcomed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Tehran for a two-day visit focusing on Iran's nuclear program and bilateral ties.

On Erdogan's arrival, Salehi told the official Islamic Republic News Agency that the next round of the talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group comprising the United States, Russia, France, Britain, China and Germany would take place on April 13.

The last round of talks, held in Istanbul in 2011, ended in failure. The round before that, in 2010, was in Geneva.