Spotlight: Iran nuclear talks broaden consensus, new round expected in February

A new round of negotiations over Iran's long-standing controversial nuclear program between Tehran and world powers broadened their consensus on Sunday, and a new round has been planned for next month.

Based on prior bilateral engagements between the United States and Iran during the past four days, high-level officials from Britain, China, France, Germany and the United States met with Abbas Araghchi, deputy foreign minister of Iran for a day of talks as part of the ongoing diplomatic efforts to find a comprehensive solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

Wang Qun, director general of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that this round of talks was intensive, practical and of in-depth.

The European Union (EU) also said in an open message that negotiators "had serious and useful meetings chaired by EU political director Helga Schmid and decided to meet again in early February."

Araghchi also said the discussion was "good" and "extensive", adding that they were "trying to bridge the gap between the two sides".

However, as negotiators showed their optimistic perspective on the future of the nuclear talks, they also admitted that limited substantial progress had been made in the new round of the discussion.

"The mood was very good, but I don't think we made a lot of progress",France's negotiator Nicolas de la Riviere told the press.

As all sides agreed to step up efforts to reach a political understanding by the end of March and reach a comprehensive deal before the deadline of June 30, China urged all sides to be flexible on their stands.

"Time is running short", Wang told the press, "and all parties should adopt a pragmatic and flexible approach and make resolute political decisions."

According to Iranian state-run IRIB TV, Mohammad-Javad Zarif, foreign minister of Iran, expressed optimism about a solution to his country's nuclear issue despite the fact that wide gaps between Tehran and the world powers, especially the United States, have remain unchanged.

He said that "serious, accurate and clear discussions" over the disputed nuclear topics were held over the past days, and "we are seriously doing our job and believe that the solution is within reach."

However, Zarif also pointed out that, as some U.S. senators are trying to push for new sanctions against Iran, progress towards a deal would only be reached if the world powers "stop with the pressure" on Iran.

The Republican-controlled U.S. Congress is considering a new sanctions bill against Iran, threatening to reintroduce suspended sanctions if no deal is reached on July 1.

U.S. President Barack Obama warned his lawmakers of any sanction bill at the moment, saying it will be "disruptive" to the ongoing multilateral negotiations and will increase the likelihood of a military conflict with Iran. "Just hold your fire", Obama pleaded to the U.S. Congress, while also issuing the veto threat.

The most substantial difference between Iran and the West is how much production capacity of enriched uranium Iran can keep, according to Marc Finaud, a senior search fellow at United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.

Iran thinks that approximately 190,000 centrifuges are needed to satisfy its demand for civil nuclear power, while 4,000 centrifuges are already more than enough for the U.S. part.

The drastic gap between the expectations of Iran and the United States is the key impediment to a comprehensive deal for all parties in the Geneva nuclear talks. And how to bridge that gap still remains a big question, Finaud told Xinhua. Endit