European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the foreign ministers of the six world powers gathered for several hours late Saturday night in a last-ditch effort to reach an agreement regarding a “first step” to halt a large part of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the easing of international sanctions.
At a very brief joint press conference held by Ashton and Zarif following the end of talks, Ashton said a lot of progress had been achieved but differences still remain. She announced talks would resume in Geneva on November 20th.
Zarif said he hoped an agreement would be reached in the next round, and said it is natural that when dealing with the details, “there will be differences.”
Just past 2 A.M. local time in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also gave a short press conference. He reiterated the goal of the Obama administration to prevent a nuclear Iran, and said that differences were significantly narrowed.
