A senior U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday that Washington would hold further talks in Geneva next week with Iran over the agreement it has reached to temporarily halt its nuclear programme.
The talks, which also involve Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, could, however, fail to secure a major political agreement for an agreement aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme in return for the easing of sanctions on the country.
If such an agreement were reached it would represent one of the biggest leaps forward in U.S.-Iranian relations since the 1979 Islamic revolution, enabling Tehran to lift crippling international economic sanctions and start trade with the West.
The parties are racing to complete a political agreement by June. A senior U.S. official said the parties were meeting again on Feb. 9 in Geneva to discuss the implementation of the deal agreed last week.
“This is the first round of several that will continue this week and throughout the coming weeks. The Iranians have responded positively to the American offer,” the official said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted, “Our path is irreversible. We will never abandon our nation. The people of Iran are no stranger to international sanctions.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called the nuclear agreement “the worst deal ever negotiated” and has threatened to scuttle it unless major changes are made.
Trump’s administration has accused Iran of failing to take enough steps to curb its nuclear programme.
In November, the United States withdrew from the agreement.