Iran says world powers not serious in nuclear talks

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif Friday said that the world powers should have been "serious" in the nuclear talks with Iran as there are still "excessive demands on the other side".

"I think the other party had not entered the talks with a serious will and a realistic stance," Zarif said after conclusion of the five-day nuclear talks in Vienna Friday, Xinhua reported citing semi-official ISNA news agency.

According to the interim Geneva nuclear agreement last November, Iran had to take steps to alleviate the concerns of the world powers over its nuclear programme in exchange for a partial lift of economic sanctions posed by the West.

However, Zarif said "there are still excessive demands on the other side".

Iran and the world powers will gather again in Vienna July 2 for further work on the draft of a final nuclear accord, which started in the just-concluded round of talks, Zarif said.

Iran and the P5+1, including five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, held fresh round of nuclear negotiations in Vienna, the fifth of its kind, over the past five days, but did not make considerable progress in their "intensive and difficult" talks.

The West demands that Iran dramatically lower its uranium enrichment capacity, and wants Tehran to maintain only a few hundred centrifuges. Iran insists on the "peaceful" nature of its nuclear activities, urging for a complete removal of sanctions that is hurting its economy badly.