US, Russian top diplomats in Geneva for new round of Iran nuclear talks

GENEVA (Xinhua) - The talks between Iran and the United Nations Security Council' five permanent members plus Germany over its controversial nuclear program would extend into an unscheduled fourth day on Saturday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry headed to Geneva Friday to join the ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group, Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany, in an attempt to "help narrow the differences and move closer to an agreement."

Earlier on Friday evening, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had arrived in the Swiss city.

The new round of talks starting from Wednesday is the third negotiations between Iran and the six countries in more than a month.

The US and Russia's top diplomats, along with their counterparts from Britain, France and Germany and a vice foreign minister from China attended the last around held from Nov. 7 to 9 which failed to nail down an interim deal as expected. However, a press conference after the talks gave some hopes as it was announced that a lot of concrete progress had been achieved while some differences remained.

A senior US official said on condition of anonymity Wednesday evening that the focus of this round of talks is to get into details of "a possible first-step agreement, and the parameters of a comprehensive agreement and to see if we can narrow the remaining gaps necessary to conclude such an agreement."

Western countries have long been accusing Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, but Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Under the potential preliminary agreement, modest sanction relief are offered in exchange for a halt in Iran's nuclear program.