Sunday, March 9, 2014

Iran tells EU's Catherine Ashton that nuclear deal is possible within months

EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, visited Iran over the weekend with the hopes of strengthening ties. The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in turn, said that a nuclear deal is possibly forthcoming within the next four to five months. Although the two influential figures tried to portray an air of optimism and hope, Ashton was also reported to have said that there is still “no guarantee” that an actual comprehensive agreement would come to pass. While such talks are certainly part of Ashton’s visit in Iran, the main goal of the visit is to promote and explore “the potential for a new relationship between Iran and Europe.” Other topics that will be included in the talks is the war in Syria, as well as further developments from last year’s interim deal called P5+1, which was in regards to Iran’s uranium enrichment programs. Ashton also held talks with President Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani separately, on Sunday. It’ll be interesting to see how and/or if the United States will respond to these events. Much of the media has been recently devoted to the events in Ukraine, so whether or not these talks will be acknowledged in the U.S. anytime soon remains to be seen.

The full article can be read HERE.


By: Lauren Marie De Guzman

No comments: