A new round of nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers started on Tuesday in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

A new round of nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers started on Tuesday in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Iran and the five UN Security Council permanent members plus Germany want to fully resolve the decade-old dispute over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program.

The high-level talks were presided over by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who heads the six countries in the nuclear discussions, on Tuesday.

The negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Britain, Russia, France and China - plus Germany then will continue at the level of the deputies.

Zarif told Iranian media afterwards that "there are signs that an understanding is possible that respects the rights of the Iranian nation."

He added that the current talks will focus on issues that have not been tackled so far, such as the mechanism for nuclear inspections.

A senior US official involved in the talks said Friday she was "absolutely convinced" a deal could be reached and that both sides were "looking toward beginning drafting (a deal) in May".

But "the real issue is not about whether you can write the words on paper, do the drafting. It's about the choices that Iran has to make, and some of them are very difficult."