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New round of US-Iran nuclear talks to be held on March 15: Kerry

Xinhua, March 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

The next round of ministerial level U.S.-Iran nuclear talks will resume on March 15, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said after a three-day discussion with his Iranian counterpart in the Swiss lakeside resort town of Montreux Wednesday.

He told a press briefing before heading to his next stop in Saudi Arabia that they have made some progress "from where we were," but "there are still significant gaps and important choices that need to be made."

He described the latest talks as "tough" and "intense."

"We will return to these talks on the 15th of March, recognizing that time is of the essence, the days are ticking by," Kerry said, adding that his focus is to reach "a good deal" but not just get "any deal."

"We also want an agreement that is sustainable over time, and particularly that achieves the singular goal of proving that Iran's nuclear program is and will remain peaceful," Kerry added.

He stated that it is "certainly possible" the talks will not yield any deal on time.

Kerry arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to attend the 28th Human Rights Council session.

On Monday, he and his Iranian counterpart gathered again in Montreux for a fresh around of talks over Iran's long disputed nuclear program. It was said that the meeting was Kerry's eighth negotiating session with the Iranians this year.

The last round of Iran unclear talks was held on Feb. 21-23 in Geneva, in which both Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif participated.

It has been over a year since Iran and the world's major countries agreed to come back to the negotiating table to discuss the Iranian nuclear program.

Under an interim deal between Iran and the P5+1 inked in November 2013, Iran said it would suspend critical nuclear activities in return for limited ease of sanctions, with all sides seeking a comprehensive deal.

After missing twice self-imposed deadlines, the negotiators agreed in November 2014 to extend the deadline for another seven months, hoping to reach a deal.

Iran maintains its nuclear plans are for peaceful purposes while Western nations have suspected its intentions. Endit