President Rouhani sends chief of staff to Vienna talks

President Hassan Rouhani has dispatched his Chief of Staff Mohammad Nahavandian to the Austrian capital of Vienna – where negotiations are underway between Iran and the P5+1 countries – on what some media reports say may be a special mission.

Nahavandian earlier posted an image of an airplane on his Instagram page with a message asking for prayers.

It is not yet known whether Nahavandian will personally participate in the talks between Iran and the P5+1.

Iran and the six other countries – the US, Germany, France, China, Russia, and the UK – have been negotiating to reach a deal on the Islamic Republic’s civilian nuclear program.

The two sides extended a previous June 30 deadline for a week in an effort to nail down the potential deal.

As the negotiations continue in Vienna, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano traveled to Iran to hold important talks with senior Iranian officials.

In a statement on Friday, Amano said, “The purpose of the visit was to advance work towards the resolution of all outstanding issues regarding Iran’s civilian nuclear program, including clarification of possible military dimensions.”

He said Iran and the IAEA now have a “better understanding” in some areas but stressed that more work is required.

Earlier, Amano had joined the negotiations in Vienna.