Russia: No Date, Place Yet for Iran Nuclear Talks

The date and place for talks between world powers and Iran on Tehran's controversial nuclear program have not yet been set, Russia said on Monday.

"The date and the place of the meeting have not been definitively set," Sergei Ryabkov, deputy foreign minister, told the Interfax news agency.

"The meeting could take place on April 13 or 14 or in the following days," he said, adding that the talks should take place as soon as possible.

"The situation is very complicated and could get worse. We can't wait anymore. These negotiations are extremely important," he was quoted as saying.

Ryabkov was reacting to a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday that talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group -- the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany -- would take place on April 13 and 14 in Istanbul.

EU officials in Brussels said that, despite Clinton's affirmation, Istanbul had not yet been fully confirmed as the venue.

"The talks are scheduled to start late on the 13th and will be held primarily on the 14th," one EU diplomat told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity.

They will "very likely" take place in Istanbul, but all parties had not yet reached complete agreement, the diplomat said.

The last round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group was held in Istanbul in January 2011 and ended in failure. Geneva hosted the round before that in late 2010.