The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif made today the following statement:

"Minister Zarif and I, together with the Political Directors of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United KIngdom and the United States, just finished a second round of talks with Iran in our ongoing diplomatic effort to seek a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue.

We would again like to thank the Austrian Foreign Minister and his staff as well as the United Nations for their support in hosting these negotiations in Vienna.

Based on the framework for the negotiations established at our meeting last month, we had substantive and useful discussions covering a set of issues, including enrichment, the Arak reactor, civil nuclear cooperation and sanctions.

We will meet again on 7 to 9 April 2014 in Vienna and continue our work on the substantial areas which we intend to cover in a comprehensive agreement.

In the meantime, technical experts will meet to further elaborate on the details of the relevant issues."