Iran N-talks to continue on sidelines of UN assembly: Ashton

TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (MNA) – EU foreign policy chief said negotiations on Tehran nuclear program will be held on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York in September. P5+1 – UK, Russia, France, US, China plus Germany – will discuss ways to reach a comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran based on the interim nuclear deal on fringes of UN General Assembly, reported Reuters. The Geneva interim deal ended on July 20 but the two sides failed to reach agreements to start drafting a final comprehensive agreement. The six, comprising Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States and known as the E3/EU3, have agreed to extend negotiations until Nov. 24. Catherine Ashton, the EU's top diplomat, is expected to continue to lead nuclear negotiations with Iran even as she leaves her EU job at the end of October. On a news conference in response to a question about any probable nuclear talks in New York assembly in September Ashton said that there are ongoing discussions on Iran nuclear issue and added that the UN General Assembly would be an opportunity to be used for talks. Iran’s FM Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ashton are due to meet in Brussels on Monday to talk on ways to reach a comprehensive nuclear deal. This year's UN General Assembly starts in New York on Sept. 16. The Iran nuclear discussions are expected to begin among senior foreign ministry officials the same week and may continue at ministerial level at the annual assembly gathering of world leaders, which begins on Sept. 24. This happens while Washington announced on Friday that it imposed new sanctions upon Iran including 8 individuals and 20 companies comprising 6 oil tankers, banks and financial institutions. US Treasury claims new sanctions are "targeting Iran’s missile and nuclear programs, sanctions evasion efforts, and support for terrorism." This came after a meeting between Iranian and Russian foreign ministers in Moscow that Zarif told a news conference with negotiation with the G5+1 Iran aimed at resolving any ambiguity about the Iranian nuclear energy program. On a press conference on Saturday Iran President Hassan Rouhani strongly condemned this US act and called US illegal sanctions ‘crime against humanity.’ He dubbed recent sanctions contradictory to ‘soul of negotiations’ and expressed hope it wouldn’t impact further talks. Earlier on Saturday Iran’s FM Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said that this US action would have negative effects on nuclear negotiations process and asserted that such actions cast doubts on US and the other negotiators’ good intentions in the nuclear talks. “Such actions cause doubts on their commitment to any probable final deal between Iran and the Sextet,” added Afkham and went on saying that “Tehran expects the G5+1 to commit to its agreement.” Iran and P5+1 clinched a landmark interim deal in Geneva on November 23, 2013. The agreement, which took effect on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20, was extended until November 24. Under the deal, dubbed the Geneva Joint Plan of Action, the six countries undertook to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities but this was violated with five fresh sanctions imposed by US upon Iran.