Iranian President Sheikh Hasan Rouhani urged world powers not to miss an “exceptional opportunity” to reach a deal over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Iranian President Sheikh Hasan Rouhani urged world powers not to miss an “exceptional opportunity” to reach a deal over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
"I hope that the P5+1 group make the most out of this exceptional opportunity that the Iranian nation has offered to the internati
onal community, so that we can reach a positive result within a reasonable timeframe," he was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency.
Rouhani, said the opportunity to reach a deal with world powers was made possible with his election in June replacing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Rouhani, who made the comments during a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, insisted that the only solution to the nuclear dispute was through negotiations and "mutual trust".
His comments come as diplomats grappled to secure a landmark deal at a third day of crucial talks on Iran's nuclear program in Geneva.
During his meeting with Rouhani, Kishida said he was "hopeful that efforts and negotiations would yield a desirable result as soon as possible," IRNA reported
Earlier, Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who heads the Iranian negotiating team in Geneva, said there was "progress" in talks with the so-called P5+1 group, but he stopped short of commenting on whether the parties would be able to issue a joint statement on Saturday.
The P5+1 group consists of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany.
Iranian officials have said that if no deal is reached by the end of the day Saturday, a new round of talks will be held in seven to 10 days.
