Iran satisfied with 'fruitful' nuclear talks with US

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and senior negotiator Seyed Abbas Araqchi voiced pleasure in his "fruitful" two-day talks with the US officials in Geneva.
"The negotiations which will continue tomorrow (Saturday) have been fruitful so far and we hope that they can help resolve the differences," Araqchi told the Islamic republic news agency's Persian service on Friday.
Noting that the two sides still have some differences, he said, "God willing, we will make progress by September 18, when the next round of the negotiations between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) will be held in New York."
Iranian and US officials in the second day of their bilateral negotiations in Geneva on Friday discussed the latest developments in the nuclear talks between Tehran and the world powers and possible ways to settle their differences on Iran's nuclear program.
Araqchi and another Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi held bilateral talks with their US counterparts Wendy Sherman and William Burns for over three and a half hours on Friday morning. They also held a session in the Swiss capital in the afternoon.
The negotiations between Araqchi, Takht Ravanchi, Sherman and Burns took place within the framework of talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1.
No details have yet been released about the exact contents of the talks.
The senior Iranian and US officials kicked off their bilateral negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program in Geneva on Thursday.
On September 1, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met in Brussels, Belgium, and discussed the process of the ongoing nuclear talks for more than three hours.
After his negotiations with Ashton, the Iranian foreign minister said he was optimistic that issues related to the Iranian nuclear technology could be resolved within the time framework of the November 24 deadline.
Iran and the six world powers have been in talks over a final and permanent solution to their nuclear standoff ever since they signed an interim deal in Geneva in November.
On July 20, the deadline for reaching a final agreement on Iran's future nuclear activities was postponed by four months—until November 24—to give more time for diplomatic efforts.
Zarif and Ashton in a joint statement after over two weeks of talks in July stressed the need for more efforts and time to reach an agreement with the world powers over Tehran's nuclear program.
The two officials who presided the negotiating sides, emphasized at the end of Iran-G5+1 negotiations that they have held different sessions in different forms and in a constructive atmosphere to reach a final comprehensive agreement.
Due to certain differences over some fundamental issues the two sides agreed to extend the Joint Plan of Action by November 24, they added.