Talks on Iran nuclear program underway in Oman

Talks on Iran nuclear program underway in Oman

PanARMENIAN.Net - High-level talks are taking place in Oman ahead of the Nov 24 deadline for a comprehensive deal on Iran's nuclear program, BBC News reports.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU negotiator Catherine Ashton.

President Barack Obama said "big gaps" remain in negotiations concerning uranium enrichment and sanctions relief.

Iran denies claims by world powers that it is trying to make a nuclear weapon. It insists its uranium enrichment program is purely for peaceful purposes.

Speaking to US network CBS News on Sunday, Nov 9, President Obama admitted that a deal may not be made before the Nov 24 deadline. "We may not be able to get there," he said.

The BBC said, citing sources, that the most senior aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - Ali Akbar Velayati - may be joining the talks.

Sunday's meeting comes a year after Iran and six world powers - the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - agreed an interim deal to limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for some relief from Western sanctions.

Iran had promised to further co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) following the election of President Hassan Rouhani last year in return for an easing of the sanctions.

The IAEA wants Iran to answer more questions about some of its nuclear facilities Although progress has been made, Kerry has said real gaps in the negotiations remain. The toughest issues include how much capacity to enrich uranium Iran could retain, and how quickly international sanctions would be phased out.

A recent confidential IAEA report could also complicate progress in the talks, the BBC says. The report said Iran was failing to answer questions about suspected covert activity at some of its nuclear facilities.

The IAEA said that although Iran agreed in May to provide information on two out of about a dozen areas of suspicion by August, it is yet to give answers.

The BBC says both sides recognize there is a historic moment of opportunity, and have expressed concern about the consequences of failing to reach a deal by the Nov 24 deadline.

Kerry has also insisted that the nuclear talks are not linked to possible co-operation with Iran in the regional fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

Recent reports in the U.S. media described a letter from President Barack Obama to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggesting a nuclear deal could benefit their common interest in fighting the group.

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