Iran, six powers hold 3rd day of talks in Geneva

Iran and six major world powers are holding a third day of negotiations in the Swiss city of Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

The talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, China, France, Britain and the US- plus Germany stretched into an unscheduled third day as negotiators pressed for a deal on Iran’s civilian nuclear work.

Top officials from both sides described the two days of intense negotiations in Geneva as constructive.

On Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, French Foreign Minister Lauren Fabius and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle joined the talks in Geneva.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a Chinese deputy foreign minister are also heading to Switzerland to participate in the talks.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Kerry held five hours of intense negotiations. The three top diplomats were working on a draft agreement that many say could be a breakthrough in the resolution of the dispute over the Iranian nuclear energy program.

Meanwhile, hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described a possible agreement in the course of the nuclear talks between Iran and the six world powers as a “bad deal.”