Iran negotiator says nuclear deal not permanent

Iran's senior nuclear negotiator said on Tuesday that even if a nuclear deal could be reached, its implementation would not be permanent.

"If a nuclear agreement is reached, it will have a specific time frame and none of its measures will be permanent," Iran's senior negotiator Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency.

His remarks came as a reaction to recent comments of US Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who said a potential nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers will not expire.

Such remarks by some US officials aimed to address their internal issues and satisfy their allies, Araqchi said.

However, Iran would be committed to its international obligations such as Non-Proliferation Treaty directives, as long as the country remains a signatory to them, he added.

Iran's deputy minister level negotiators would meet EU deputy foreign policy chief Helga Schmid, who represents the world's six major powers, in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday to discuss the preliminary draft of an accord ahead of the self-imposed deadline of June 30.

Following a three-day nuclear negotiation in Vienna last week, Araqchi said on Saturday that the talks were very difficult and complicated, but "It is advancing very slowly."

On November 24, 2013, world powers and Iran reached an interim agreement on latter's nuclear programme, which demanded Iran suspend some sensitive nuclear activities in exchange for limited sanction relief to buy time for diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.

Negotiators agreed on a framework of understanding in early April and set June 30 as a deadline for reaching a final deal, after missing two previous deadlines in June and November last year.

Iran's nuclear programme has long been a subject of concern for western powers, who suspect it to be geared toward developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists it has an inalienable right to develop its civilian nuclear plan.