TEHRAN, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The first negotiations on Iran's nuclear program may be held in the coming days at the headquarters of the United Nations, Iran's president said.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is scheduled to deliver an address before the U.N. General Assembly during its 68th annual session, which starts Sept. 17.
Rouhani, a former nuclear negotiator, took office last month. He vowed to lead Iran as a moderate and reach out to members of the international community.
Iran is suspected of pursuing technology needed to manufacture a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday it was unable to verify all of Iran's nuclear activity was confined to peaceful research.
Rouhani said Tuesday he tasked the Foreign Ministry with restarting nuclear negotiations with the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany.
"The first negotiations regarding this issue may be held in the coming weeks in New York and the subsequent talks will continue at a venue that will be determined for the talks with the P5+1," he was quoted by state-funded broadcaster Press TV as saying.
Two rounds of talks this year in Kazakhstan were described as amicable but ineffective. Rouhani said his Western adversaries won't get very far in their negotiations if they continue to impose economic sanctions on Iran.
