US envoy joins drafting Iran’s nuclear deal

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns has joined representatives of Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in drafting the final nuclear agreement.

According to IRNA, Burns joined the meeting of Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi and Helga Schmid, a deputy for EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on Saturday afternoon.

Araqchi and Schmid have worked on drafting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for nearly 16 hours since July 4.

The two sides were previously scheduled to begin drafting the deal on Friday morning, but they agreed to adjourn the meeting for further consultations.

Before the Friday afternoon meeting, Araqchi and Burns held a one-on-one meeting for consultation over the draft of a final deal.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany formally kicked off the sixth round of nuclear talks on July 3 to discuss a permanent accord.

Iran and the six countries have been discussing ways to iron out differences and achieve a final deal that would end the decade-old dispute over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

The two sides inked an interim accord in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 23, 2013. Under the deal, the six countries agreed to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities during a six-month period. The deal came into force in January and expires on July 20, but can be extended depending on the agreement of all parties involved.