The trilateral meeting that involves the United States, Iran and the European Union (EU) started in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on Sunday to discuss core issues on Iran's nuclear program.

The two-day meeting, attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif and EU adviser Catherine Ashton, comes just two weeks before the Nov. 24 deadline for a comprehensive deal on the controversial nuclear program of Iran.

At a press conference after Sunday's meeting. Oman's Foreign Minister Youssef Alawi bin Abdullah said the talks proceed smoothly, and he remained hopeful that a comprehensive agreement can be reached before the Nov. 24 deadline.

The meeting is part of the EU-coordinated negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group, including Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States plus Germany.

After the deal between Iran and the P5+1 group on Nov. 24 last year, both sides have held several rounds of talks trying to work out a final agreement.

The Western sanctions against Iran and the country's uranium enrichment capacity are now the two key issues between the two sides.

Under the interim deal agreed in Geneva last November, Iran agreed to suspend some sensitive nuclear activities in exchange for a limited sanction relief within 12 months to buy time for the diplomatic efforts.

The West wants Iran to significantly scale back its nuclear program to address its concern of proliferation risk, while Iran insists that its nuclear right is inalienable. Endi

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