Iranian N. Negotiators Return Home from Geneva

The Iranian team, led by the country’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, arrived in Tehran on Sunday afternoon. Soon after arriving at the airport, Zarif had a meeting with Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida who is in Iran for a two-day official visit.

The Islamic Republic and the G5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) concluded three days of detailed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program in Switzerland early on Sunday.

At the end of the talks, Zarif had a joint press conference with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who chaired the intense talks with Iran on behalf of the G5+1 countries.

Zarif said in the press conference that progress had been made during the “productive” talks and that the two sides had reached an agreement on a number of issues.

He said all parties were “on the same wavelength” and “there was the impetus to reach an agreement”.

The Iranian foreign minister also noted that he was not disappointed with the outcome, and that the talks were “something we can build on”.

Catherine Ashton, for her part, said the two sides had made “concrete progress” in the talks, which she described as “intense and constructive discussions," but added that some issues remained to be resolved in future talks. “Our objective is to reach a conclusion and that's what we will come back to try and do."

She said the negotiating sides have agreed to resume talks on November 20, again in Geneva.

Also, British Foreign Secretary William Hague sounded somewhat optimistic, saying that he believed progress had been made in Geneva and it was vital to keep up the momentum. 

"On the question of will it happen in the next few weeks, there is a good chance of that. A deal is on the table and it can be done. But it is a formidably difficult negotiation, I can't say exactly when it will conclude," he said.