Iranian nuclear negotiating team off to Vienna

Iran's nuclear negotiating team departed to Vienna on Wednesday.

The next round of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group to be held in Vienna on 22-24 April, IRNA reported.

The Iranian negotiators are to discuss the Joint Plan of Action during the 70-day deadline.

On April 2, Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers issued a joint statement after marathon talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne calling, among other things, for the removal of UNSC sanctions against Iran.

The statement was read out in a joint press conference in the Swiss city by the EU high representative, Federica Mogherini, and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Iran's senior negotiator Abbas Araqchi and EU Foreign Policy Deputy Chief Helga Schmidt will start the negotiations.

Then Iran and the P5+1 would resume the new round of talks at the deputy minister level to bridge differences on the outstanding issues pertaining to Tehran's nuclear program.

Speaking to reporters on the eve of the next round of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1, Araqchi said the negotiations will focus on 'sanctions'.

He stressed that removal of multilayered sanctions which Iran has consistently dubbed as 'unlawful and unjust' has been Iran's main demand throughout the negotiations.

However, he added, recent developments, particularly the passage by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee of the 'Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015' seems to have cast some further doubt over the US policy makers' overall intentions regarding the whole negotiations.