US, Iran see progress in nuclear talks, but ways to go

The United States and Iran said Feb. 23 they had made progress in the latest round of talks on Tehran's nuclear programme, but warned there was still a long way to go to seal a final deal.
      
Negotiators for Iran and six world powers had been meeting in Geneva since Friday, and plan further talks in Switzerland next week, a senior US administration official said.
      
"These were serious, useful and constructive discussions," the official said after US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrapped up two days of meetings in the lakeside city.         

Zarif agreed. "Some progress was made on certain subjects, but there is still a long road ahead to reach a final agreement," Iranian media quoted him as saying.
      
As a March 31 deadline looms for reaching a political framework for a deal, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington that Kerry "could certainly participate at some point" in next week's negotiations, but she had nothing concrete to announce.
      
"These talks have been productive, there's still more work to do," Psaki insisted.
      
The so-called P5+1 group of Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany are trying to strike an accord that would prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.
      
In return, the West would ease punishing sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear programme, which Iran insists is purely civilian in nature.
                      
Tortuous nuclear negotiations have poisoned relations between Iran and the West for years. However, there is now a heightened sense of urgency ahead of the March 31 deadline, with a second June 30 date by which to agree all the...