Iranian team leaves for new n-talks in Vienna

The Iranian negotiating team has left for a fresh round of talks on Tehran's nuclear energy programme scheduled to be held in Vienna, media reported Tuesday.

The team is being led by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Press TV reported.

Zarif is scheduled to meet European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who heads the team from the P5+1 group -- the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany -- Tuesday night to discuss the progress of the nuclear talks and the agenda for the negotiations.

Zarif will then attend a trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Ashton Wednesday.

This round of talks is the eighth this year between Iran and the P5+1 group.

Tehran and the P5+1 group wrapped up their latest round of nuclear talks in New York last month.

The two sides are currently working to reach a final agreement aimed at ending the longstanding dispute over Tehran's civilian nuclear programme as a Nov 24 deadline is soon approaching.

Monday night, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran and the world powers would "certainly" reach an understanding on Iran's nuclear programme.

"On the nuclear issue, the two sides will certainly reach an understanding and this understanding will be based on the win-win principle," Rouhani said.

Iran and the six countries sealed an interim deal in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov 23, 2013, for a six-month period.

The deal, which took effect on Jan 20, expired July 20.