Talks on Iran’s nuclear program have made substantial progress, a senior U.S. official said on Friday as the White House braced for an onslaught of criticism next week from the Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Talks on Iran's nuclear program have made substantial progress, a senior U.S. official said on Friday as the White House braced for an onslaught of criticism next week from the Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A spokeswoman for the European Commission said in Brussels Friday that senior diplomats from the six world powers (US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany) and Iran will resume talks on a nuclear agreement in Montreux, Switzerland on Tuesday.

The negotiations will be held on the level of political directors of the E3 plus 3 and Iran, she announced.

"We should not miss out on this historic chance," the European official reiterated.

All sides in the Iran nuclear negotiation process hope to reach a political agreement by the end of March and a comprehensive accord by July to finally end the 12-year-old nuclear row.