World Bulletin / News Desk

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Thursday, as part of the ongoing seventh round of nuclear talks in New York, according to the UN press office.

The two leaders discussed the ongoing Iranian nuclear issue, conflicts in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria, and the human rights situation in Iran.

Iran's foreign minister headed for New York for the seventh round of talks between the Islamic Republic and the six world powers over Tehran's nuclear program on Tuesday and met with European Union’s outgoing Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, who is also the chief negotiator on behalf of the six powers.

The nuclear talks between the United States, United Kingdom, China, Russia, France and Germany – dubbed the P5+1 – and Iran began last November in Geneva.

Initial talks led to an interim deal that called for the scaling back of Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for the easing of economic sanctions that have taken a toll on the country's economy.

At the end of the meeting, the Secretary-General "expressed hope that a comprehensive agreement on Iran’s nuclear program would be reached."

The talks in New York, which are aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement, are expected to continue until November.