High-level talks in Switzerland on Tehran's disputed nuclear programme were "useful and constructive" but a deal is still a long way off, a senior US administration official said Monday. "These were serious, useful and constructive discussions. We have made some progress, but we still have a long way to go," the official after talks in Geneva between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his US counterpart John Kerry. "We did very much sharpen up some of the tough issues, so we can work to resolution," the official said.
"I think everybody is trying very hard to negotiate in good faith and to reach a positive result. Whether we can get there or not remains to be seen." The official said a new round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany will take place next Monday in Switzerland. The meeting will be held at the level of political directors, the official said, although the exact location has yet to be confirmed.