Iran sticks to nuclear talks till last moment: Araqchi

Iran will not leave the negotiating table until the very last moment in an effort to work out a final nuclear deal with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1).

In an interview with Radio France International (RFI), Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi expressed optimism about reaching a final accord with the six countries – the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - over its nuclear energy program by the November 24 deadline.

The Iranian official further stated that all parties involved in the nuclear talks must show “goodwill” if they want the discussions to bear fruit within the deadline.

Araqchi said Tehran is serious in the nuclear talks and the Islamic Republic will remain at the negotiating table “until the very last moment.”

He also slammed a fresh round of sanctions recently imposed by Washington against Iran and said such a move is against the spirit of the interim accord signed between Iran and the six countries in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 2013.

If Tehran and its negotiating sides do not manage to reach a permanent agreement by November 24, “It will not be the end of the world and it will not be the end of diplomacy. Diplomacy will never stop,” the Iranian deputy foreign minister stated.

He also said Tehran plans to hold a number of bilateral talks with certain members of the P5+1 group to prepare for the new round of nuclear negotiations, which is scheduled to be held in New York later this month.

The Geneva accord of November 2013 expired on July 20, but Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations for another four months after they failed to reach common ground on a number of key issues.