Ali Akbar Salehi described nuclear negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany as “tough” but added that Iran expects the Vienna talks to bear fruit.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has logical stances and has demonstrated flexibility [in the course of negotiations], but if the talks collapse, the opposite side is to blame,” Salehi added.

On July 3, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China - plus Germany formally kicked off their sixth round of talks this year in Vienna to discuss a permanent accord on Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

The foreign ministers of the six countries have been invited to attend the ongoing negotiations. US Secretary of State John Kerry and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius are reportedly due to join the talks. Heading the Iranian negotiating team, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has been in Vienna since the beginning of the talks.

Iran and the six countries have been discussing ways to sort out differences and achieve a final deal that would end the decade-old dispute over Iran’s nuclear energy program.

The two sides sealed an interim deal in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 23, 2013. The deal came into force in January and expires on July 20, but can be extended depending on the agreement of all parties involved.

RA/SHI