Kerry speaks with Zarif on sidelines of UN nuclear conf.

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Secretary of State John Kerry met for around an hour and a half with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the residence of Iran's ambassador to UN, State Department Acting Deputy Spokesperson Jeff Rathke said Tuesday.

"The meeting was productive. They discussed the work the political directors and experts did last week in Vienna and the path forward for the talks to preempt perhaps a couple of questions," said Rathke to reporters.

He added, "The focus of the talks, again, was on the nuclear issue. But the secretary did discuss the situation in Yemen." Kerry also raised the cases of detained and missing US citizens Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, Jason Rezaian, and Robert Levinson. (end)