Iran wants Flexibility in Nuclear Program in Exchange for Support Against IS

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart - Mohammad Javad Zarif - for more than an hour in New York, to stress the need for making progress in nuclear negotiations this week.

Kerry said that the nuclear talks are an opportunity for Iran and the six world powers - Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the United States - to work toward a comprehensive agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

In the beginning, Kerry and Zarif met one-on-one and were later joined by other officials from both sides, Xinhua reports. The two have agreed that if needed, they would meet again in New York this week.

They also discussed the threat posed by Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, a senior State Department official said, The Jerusalem Post reports.

Senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran is willing to work with the United States and its allies to stop the Sunni militants, but in exchange it requires more flexibility on Iran's uranium enrichment program.

Iran's mixed signals about its willingness to cooperate with the campaign against the IS militants, has highlighted a grave issue - it might be very difficult for the Western powers to keep the nuclear negotiations separate from other regional conflicts.

Iran's decision can greatly influence the Syrian civil war and the Iraqi government, which is fighting the jihadist group.

Iran and the six major powers started a new round of talks over Iran's nuclear program Friday at the United Nations headquarters. The talks are expected to last a week.

In July, when Iran and the six countries could not reach an agreement, it was decided that the negotiations over Iran's controversial nuclear program would be extended for another four months, i.e. till Nov. 24. However, little progress has been made in narrowing the significant gaps on core issues even as the deadline approaches.