Iran and six world powers ended the opening round of nuclear talks on an upbeat note Thursday, with both sides saying they had agreed on a plan for further negotiations meant to produce a comprehensive deal to set limits on TehranÂ’s nuclear ambitions.In a joint statement, they said the next round of negotiations would begin in Vienna on March. 17, continuing a process likely to take at least six months and probably longer.
Expectations had been modest as the talks started Tuesday, and the upbeat tone on a framework for future talks appeared aimed at least in part to encourage skeptics both inside and outside Iran that the negotiations had a chance to succeed despite huge gaps between the Iranians and the six powers.
“We have ... identified all of the issues we need to address for a comprehensive and final agreement,” said Catherine Ashton, the EU’s top diplomat who convened the talks between Iran and the six powers — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.