TEHRAN, November 11. /TASS/. The consultations on the Iranian nuclear program in Oman have so far yielded no specific results, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday after the meetings in Muscat. According to him, it cannot be said that progress has been made at the negotiations, but the Iranian delegation was optimistic about the nuclear deal signing before November 24.
“We cannot clearly say if we’ve made progress or moved backward,” Araghchi said. The issues being negotiated, especially a patchwork of international sanctions against Iran, are complicated and have to be discussed one by one, he added. He confirmed the Iranian delegation’s firm readiness to stay in Oman and continue the negotiations.
Consultaitions will continue
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has confirmed that no substantial prigress was reached at P5+1 negotiations in Oman's capital Muscat. Iran and the Sextet countries, however, confirmed plans to meet in Vienna on November 18, Ryabkov added.
Russia once again said it adheres to its commitment to cooperate with Iran in peaceful use of nuclear energy, with priority given to construction of power units, the deputy foreign minister stressed.
Moscow is fully committed to the idea of Russian fuel supplies for reactors in Iran, Ryabkov said. “Russian reactors can and must operate only on Russian fuel,” the top diplomat said.
Russia's decision to make public package of agreements with Iran on nuclear reactors was well-considered, and speculations are unacceptable, Ryabkov said. “As for this agreement, there are a lot of speculations around it and about the talks (in Oman),” he told journalists.
Negotiations on Iran's nuclear program
The fourth round of trilateral consultations between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, US Secretary of State John Kerry and former EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton at negotiations on the comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program ended in Oman on Monday evening. During two days, the three sides have spent a total of 12 hours in consultations. Their task is to bring closer their views on the key issues of the Iranian nuclear program — uranium enrichment parameters and the order and timeframe of lifting the sanctions.
Among the disputed issues Araghchi named, in particular, the issues of conversion of the heavy water reactor in Arak, the work of the Fordo uranium enrichment facility (at which uranium was enriched to 20% before the agreement and currently — up to 5%, however, some countries of the Sextet insist on the plant’s closure), and the number of centrifuges for enriched uranium.
The full-format found of the negotiations of the six world powers (five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) is planned in Muscat on Tuesday.