US, Iran hold talks

GENEVA: Top diplomats from Iran and the United States met on Wednesday for “important” talks aimed at speeding up negotiations for a nuclear deal as a new July 1 deadline for an historic accord looms.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif huddled in an upscale Geneva hotel, ahead of full negotiations with global powers which resume on Sunday.
They are seeking to break a stalemate which has caused them to miss two previous deadlines for a full agreement to rein in Iran’s suspect nuclear programme. Zarif told reporters on Wednesday’s talks were “important”.
“I think it will show the readiness of the two parties to move forward to speed up the process.” But asked if there would be a comprehensive deal by the July 1 deadline, he remained cautious replying: “We’ll see”.
Past negotiations have stumbled reportedly over Iran’s insistence that it retain the right to enrich some uranium -- which can in some cases be used to make an atomic bomb -- for what it says is a peaceful civilian nuclear programme.