EU foreign policy chief in Iran for talks on nuclear weapons

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has met with top officials in Tehran to try to build on momentum in nuclear talks with Iran to reach a final deal.

“This interim agreement is really, really important but not as important as the comprehensive agreement that we are currently engaged in,” Ms Ashton, on her first visit to Iran as EU policy chief, told reporters today after meeting with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

“Difficult, challenging, there’s no guarantee we’ll succeed.”

From there, she headed into a meeting with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani.

An interim deal with world powers, which traded some international sanctions relief for limits on Iran’s nuclear work, expires in July.

“Iran is determined to reach an agreement,” Mr Zarif said at the news conference.

“Iran will only accept a solution that is respectful, that respects the rights of the Iranian people.”

Ms Ashton, who leads talks with Iran on behalf of the US, the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China, arrived in the Iranian capital yesterday for a two-day visit.

The sides are negotiating a final deal that would put to rest concerns that Iran may develop nuclear weapons in exchange for an end to sanctions. Iran denies it seeks to build nuclear arms.

In an agreement on February 20th, Iran and world powers agreed Ashton and Zarif would hold official talks monthly. The next session is set for Vienna on March 17th.

Bloomberg