Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 11
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran and the P5+1 have started the ninth round of talks to find a solution to the outstanding issues over Tehran's disputed nuclear program in the Omani capital city of Muscat on Nov. 11, ahead of a 24 Nov. deadline for a breakthrough deal.
Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif and the outgoing EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton are heading the two sides' negotiating teams, the Islamic Republic's IRNA news agency reported.
Iranian delegation also is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Chinese and Russian delegations on Nov. 12.
Iranian negotiators also will hold a quadripartite meeting with delegations from three European countries (Germany, France, and the UK) at the same day.
Iranian FM Zarif, Catherine Ashton and the US Secretary of State John Kerry held two days of trilateral nuclear talks in Muscat on Nov. 9-10.
Last November, Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council comprising of China, France, Russia, Britain, the US Plus Germany) clinched an interim nuclear accord, which took effect on Jan. 20 and expired six months later. However, the parties agreed to extend their talks until Nov. 24 as they remained divided on a number of key issues.