WASHINGTON -- The White House on Monday confirmed that Secretary
of State John Kerry plans to meet face to face with Iranian Foreign Minister
Javad Zarif later this week, the latest sign of a possible diplomatic thaw
between United States and Iran after 34 years of hostility.
In the highest-level face-to-face
between U.S. and Iranian officials since 1979, Kerry and Zarif will meet in New
York to talk about Iran's nuclear program, along with representatives from five
other countries. For the last several years, under a framework known as P5 Plus One -- for the five permanent members of
the United Nations Security Council plus Germany -- the U.S., the U.K., China,
Russia, France and Germany have exchanged proposals on this topic with Iran.
Shortly after the White House confirmed the Kerry-Zarif meeting,
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki issued a statement reaffirming the
United States' readiness "to work with Iran," provided the administration
of newly sworn-in Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will "choose to engage
seriously.
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