Updated 1:28 p.m. Moscow Time
VIENNA, October 16 (RIA Novosti) – The top diplomats of the United States, European Union and Iran will hold the next round of nuclear consultations in three or four weeks, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday.
Zarif told reporters in Vienna the meeting would be attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, adding it should be preceded by expert-level consultations in the next two or three weeks.
This came less than a day after the latest trilateral talks on Tehran's nuclear program finished in the Austrian capital. The sides were expected to bridge the remaining differences to facilitate the signing of the comprehensive nuclear agreement before the November 24 deadline.
The previous round of negotiations between Iran and the international mediators took place in September in New York, but did not yield any results as the parties failed to agree on any of the key issues. The next meeting is to be held in Vienna later on Thursday.
The West has accused Tehran of developing nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear program — claims repeatedly denied by the Iranian authorities.
