Deadline for Agreement on Iran Nuclear Program Expires by April – Source

The parties agreed to postpone the deadline for negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program by the end of March, a European delegation source said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The current phase of negotiations on Iran's controversial nuclear program will continue until the end of the month, a week past the previously reported deadline of March 24, a source in a European delegation at the talks told RIA Novosti on Monday.

The talks, aimed at reaching an enduring agreement to dismantle parts of Iran's nuclear infrastructure, are pushing against a new deadline, but a senior Iranian diplomat told RIA Novosti earlier Tehran does not see March 24 as the last day for the ongoing round of talks.

"Formally, the first deadline expires on March 24, but parties have agreed that the end of March is the actual deadline," the source said, adding that documents mention both dates.

The confusion arose after Iran and six major world powers agreed last November to extend the deadline for a political framework deal by four months, thus setting it effectively for March 24. The sides have until July to map out a comprehensive long-term accord.

A week of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of international mediators – France, Britain, Russia, China, the United States and Germany – wrapped up in the Swiss city of Lausanne on March 20. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi told RIA Novosti the next round of talks will take place on March 25.