Foreign Secretary remarks following Iran talks
The Foreign Secretary spoke from Vienna at conclusion of ministerial level talks between E3+3 (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iran.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said:
We have made some good progress in these last few days and have explored together ways of dealing with some of the significant gaps that remain.
These are very complex issues and very challenging negotiations. While we have had to conclude that it is not possible to get an agreement today, we have agreed to extend the interim Geneva deal until June next year.
We have a much better understanding of what an agreement would look like that would be acceptable to both sides and we all believe that we have got far enough that it is worth continuing this work.
Extension does not mean a pause; we will continue negotiations in early December. Our clear aim remains to reach, within the next few months, a comprehensive agreement which addresses international concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme. Extending the negotiations will allow extra space and time to try to achieve this.
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