Final nuclear deal possible before Nov 24: Zarif

“If the other parties to the nuclear talks are prepared to make a tough decision, it is possible to reach a comprehensive deal even before November 24,” Zarif said at a Friday meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Borge Brende in New York.

Iran and the P5+1 group, the US, Russia, Britain, France, China plus Germany,  have started their new round of nuclear negotiations in New York to reach a final agreement aimed at resolving the standoff over Tehran’s civilian nuclear work.

The two sides signed a historic interim deal in Geneva last November. The agreement came into force on January 20 and expired six months later. In July, Tehran and the six states agreed to extend their negotiations until November 24 in a bid to work out a final accord.

Apart from the latest developments regarding Tehran’s nuclear negotiations, Zarif and Brende also discussed different bilateral, regional and international issues.

The Iranian foreign minister criticized the policies adopted by some regional and extra-regional countries regarding the developments across the Middle East, particularly in Syria and Iraq, where the ISIL Takfiri Takfiri militants are wreaking havoc, and underscored the need for the revision of such approaches and attention to nations’ demands.

The ISIL terrorists control large parts of Syria’s east and north. ISIL also sent its Takfiri militants into Iraq in June, seizing large swathes of land straddling the border between Syria and Iraq.

Brende, for his part, praised Iran’s support for Iraq in its campaign against the ISIL terrorists and said if it were not for Iran’s involvement, the Takfiri group would have occupied many strategic areas in Iraq and Syria.

He also pointed to the growing ties between Tehran and Oslo and underlined the need for the promotion of bilateral relations in different arenas.