Iran, powers to resume nuclear talks on Febreuary 18

The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers will be held in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Feb. 18, Iran's foreign minister was quoted as saying by Press TV on Saturday. Mohammad-Javad Zarif announced the decision after his meeting on Friday with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Earlier, local media reported that the next round of the negotiations would be held in New York in mid-February aiming for a final agreement on Iran's nuclear issue. On Jan. 20, Iran and the powers, or the P5+1 group including the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, started the implementation of an interim deal they clinched in Geneva on Nov. 24, 2013. Under the deal, Iran suspended its 20 percent-uranium enrichment on and started the process of diluting and oxidizing its 196-kg-stockpile of 20-percent enriched uranium in exchange for a partial relief of the sanctions imposed on its energy and financial sectors