As talks between Iran and the “P5+1” group, which includes the US, Britain, China, Russia and France, plus Germany, regarding the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear activities moved into their second day on Wednesday, Western officials noted that the talks were moving in the right direction.
According to BBC News, Western powers believe Iran is building a nuclear bomb, and the country has repeatedly stated its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. There may have been a breakthrough at the talks today, however, when Iran indicated it might allow unannounced visits to its nuclear sites. The P5+1 group of Western powers have asked for not only Iran’s acceptance to these unannounced checks, but also for the country to reduce their level of uranium enrichment. In return, some of the sanctions which have been imposed on Iran would be lifted.
A US State Department official stated that, “For the first time, we had very detailed technical discussions,” while Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that the “negotiation's environment was positive,” CNN reports.
While no deal has yet been reached, the election of President Hassan Rouhani, who has been called a moderate, in Iran this summer is promising in that it could mean improved relations between the country and the Western powers, as well as an increased chance of a deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program that both sides could potentially accept.