The U.S. hopes nuclear talks this week between Iran
and six international powers will be the start of stepped-up talks with
Tehran including a follow-up meeting at expert level in the coming
weeks, U.S. officials said Monday.
The U.S. is "very much ready to step up the pace" of talks
including at bilateral level, an official said. "There is still time for
diplomacy though that time is not indefinite," the person said on the
eve of a new round of negotiations with Iran in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Tuesday's talks are the first top level discussions with Iran on its nuclear program since June 2012.
The officials said the U.S. hopes for a follow-up meeting between the six powers and Iran before the Iranian new year in mid-march, probably at expert level.
The official said a measure for success for the talks would be if Iran "engages with us tomorrow and begin to discuss with us" the new proposal the six powers make and also advance their own ideas.
The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany, will make an updated offer to Iran, the official said.
The new offer would include steps to ease the sanctions pressure on Iran in the short term. "There are some steps taken in the sanctions arena," that are designed "to be responsive to Iran's demands," the official said, describing the offer.
It would be "serious and real offer to move" the talks
forward, the person said, adding that the offer would include "a pathway
for sanctions relief."
The person did not give any further details.