US, Iran resume bilateral nuke talks

GENEVA (Xinhua) - Delegations from the United States and Iran started on Friday another round of bilateral talks over Tehran's long-disputed nuclear program.

A diplomatic official with the US Mission in Geneva told Xinhua that the talks began this morning.

The source said that issues regarding the Iranian nuclear program including centrifuges and sanctions would be on the table during these closed-door meetings.

The bilateral talks were at the moment led by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry will join the talks on Sunday and Monday, Araqchi said earlier.

Kerry's trip was confirmed by the US Department of State in a statement, which noted that the top US diplomat will travel on Feb. 22 to Geneva to meet with his counterpart Zarif "as part of the ongoing nuclear negotiations".

The source with the US Mission told Xinhua that Kerry was scheduled to leave Geneva late Monday afternoon.

Following the bilateral talks, further discussions may be held with the participation of other members of the P5+1 group, which comprises the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany, IRNA reported.

Iran has been a target of UN sanctions due to its alleged attempts to build nuclear weapons. The West accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the cover of civilian nuclear programs, which Iran has denied, insisting that its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes only.

The sides agreed in November 2014 to extend the deadline for another seven months and aimed to reach a political framework deal within the next four months.

However, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed concerns over the two-phased arrangement earlier this month, saying a framework agreement on generalities may be abused by Iran's opponents as a tool for bargaining over details in the final deal.

How much nuclear capability Iran can keep, and the steps to lift West-imposed sanctions against Tehran are among the main sticking points for the ongoing negotiations.