Iran final nuclear deal possible even before deadline: Araqchi

A senior Iranian nuclear negotiator says it is possible for Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers to secure a final deal on Tehran’s civilian nuclear program even before the July 1 deadline, Press TV reports.

There are still many gaps and disagreements between the two sides, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi told Press TV upon arrival in the Austrian capital city of Vienna on Tuesday for the continuation of talks with world powers.

The negotiators are trying to reach “a single agreed text," Araqchi said, adding, “We think that we can do that even before the deadline.”

Iran and the P5+1 group of countries - the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - are set to start a new round of talks in Vienna on Tuesday at deputy and expert levels in order to narrow gaps on the outstanding issues.

In response to a question about the previous round of negotiations in New York, Araqchi said, “What we achieved in New York was the first draft of the whole package.”

"Now, we have a written text, although we still have lots of brackets, which represent the differences we have,” he added.

He further noted that the talks in Vienna are aimed at reducing the "number of brackets" and "cleaning" the text as much as possible.

Asked about Iran signing the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) for snap inspection of nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic, Araqchi said, "More than 120 countries have already implemented that. … So from that point of view, this is not something extraordinary.”

The high-ranking Iranian official also said one of the most significant issues under discussion in Vienna will be the lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program.

“All economic and financial sanctions should be terminated on the day that we start to implement the final deal,” Araqchi said, noting that there will be no “phased” sanctions removal.

On May 7, experts from Iran and the P5+1 ended their latest round of talks in New York, which were held on the sidelines of the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the NPT. Furthermore, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held important talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini.

Iran and the P5+1 group reached a mutual understanding on Tehran’s nuclear program in the Swiss city of Lausanne on April 2.

They agreed to finalize a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear program by the end of June.

MSM/KA/HMV

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