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Zarif says 'many issues' remain as nuclear talks resume

Despite the president's proclaimed optimism, Iran's foreign minister has said that many issues still remain in the nuclear talks, which resume today.

Video cameras are set up for a news conference prior to a meeting between EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna October 14, 2014. Iran does not expect a breakthrough in nuclear talks with the United States and the European Union this week but hopes they will help pave the way for a final deal, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.    REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger (AUSTRIA  - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY)   - RTR4A499
Video cameras are set up for a news conference prior to a meeting between EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna, Oct. 14, 2014. — REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

A day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that he was a certain of an eventual final nuclear deal with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1), Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said there are still “many issues” to be resolved.

The Iranian negotiating team led by Zarif left for Vienna this morning, Oct. 14, to resume the nuclear talks. He will hold meetings with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Before departing, however, Zarif appeared to have scaled down expectations after Rouhani expressed optimism to the Iranian media the night before.

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