Kerry reiterates to Iranian counterpart importance of nuclear talks

Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Iran’s foreign minister Monday in which Kerry reiterated the importance of moving negotiations forward over Iran’s nuclear program.

“They discussed the importance of moving forward on implementation of the Joint Plan of Action they agreed to in Geneva and of maintaining a constructive atmosphere as the negotiations continue. The conversation was focused on the way forward,” a senior State Department official said.

{mosads}Kerry spoke to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during his flight to Vietnam. The secretary of State departed the United States last Wednesday for his overseas trip. Kerry first stopped in Israel and the West Bank to continue peace negotiations with both sides.

After Vietnam, Kerry heads to the Philippines. His trip ends Wednesday.

Experts representing the P5+1 — the U.S., France, Russia, Germany, China, and Britain — were in Geneva last week ironing out the details of the interim deal reached with Iran late last month. The talks are expected to resume in the near future. 

The White House also announced Sunday that National Security Adviser Susan Rice and her deputy, Tony Blinken, hosted Israeli National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen last week. They were fulfilling the promise President Obama had made about consulting the Israelis over the deal with Iran.