An informed source at Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the two top nuclear negotiators are scheduled to hold a meeting in Istanbul, though it did not specify an exact date for the gathering.
“On the agenda of these (upcoming) talks will be a study of the trend in the progress of the (nuclear) negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Group 5+1,” the source added.
Earlier on May 22, Al-Monitor website had quoted an unnamed diplomatic source as saying that Zarif and Ashton will meet in Istanbul on Monday or perhaps on Tuesday.
The meeting will take place some two weeks after senior diplomats representing Iran and the sextet of world powers (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) concluded the latest round of nuclear talks in Vienna.
Ashton coordinates diplomacy with Iran on behalf of the six nations (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3) in the marathon talks with the aim of hammering out a final nuclear deal, meant to end years of Western standoff over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program.
The next round of high-profile negotiations between Iran and the sextet are slated for June 16 to 20, again in Austria’s Vienna.
