Iran, world powers agree on new round of nuke talks

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran and world powers agreed Thursday, May 24 to hold a new round of nuclear talks, a diplomat involved in discussions in Baghdad said, with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to give details shortly, AFP reported.

"There will be more talks," the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity following two days of tough discussions between Iran and the P5+1 - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany.

The diplomat added, however, that it was "not yet" possible to give the venue and date of the next round.

Ashton was expected to expand on the details of the new round in a news conference to be held after a brief plenary session of the representatives of Iran and the six powers.

One Iranian official, however, denied that an agreement on new talks had been struck. "There is not yet any deal for the continuation of the negotiations," the member of the Iranian delegation said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The talks in Baghdad yielded no breakthrough on the issue of Iran's controversial nuclear programme or that of the Western sanctions that have been imposed to pressure Tehran to scale it back.

Officials on both sides said their respective positions remained far apart, although at least they were now holding a substantive dialogue that clearly pointed to the areas of disagreement to be bridged.