MOSCOW, November 21 (Sputnik) – Ministers of the P5+1 nations negotiating with Iran on its controversial nuclear program may meet in coming days if perspectives for progress start to take shape, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.
"The sides did not rule out the possibility of a ministerial meeting of those participating in the talks on the Iranian nuclear program, if any chance of progress in this direction emerges," the ministry said in a statement reads.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the ongoing nuclear talks of the P5+1 group of negotiators with Iran in Vienna in a phone conversation.
The two top diplomats "stressed that additional effort is needed to reach tangible agreements under the previously agreed schedule," the statement reads.
The deadline for the comprehensive agreement is just three days away, and negotiators – five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany – are making their last push to secure a permanent accord on a decade-long dispute that seeks to curb Iran's nuclear program.
Iranian nuclear ambitions have been a concern for many countries, which prompted the UN Security Council, the United States, and the European Union to target it for sanctions. Iran wants to see all restrictions against it cancelled as soon as the final deal is signed, while Washington has so far only conceded to scaling them down over an extended period of time.
Tehran claims its nuclear development is aimed purely at civilian needs, such as meeting the country's growing energy needs. However, the West suspects Iran of developing a nuclear weapon under the guise of a peaceful program.
