Iran, six powers to hold nuclear talks in Switzerland on March 5: EU

The talks between political directors will be preceded by a series of bilateral meetings between Iran and some of the six powers - the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany - starting on Monday, March 2.

"The EU is making every effort to facilitate the negotiations: we cannot miss the opportunity of a good agreement," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department announced on Thursday that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry would meet with Iranian nuclear negotiators in Montreux next week.

The six powers are seeking to negotiate an agreement with Tehran to address concerns that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons technology, something it denies.

Negotiators hope to meet a self-imposed March 31 deadline for an initial political deal.

(Reporting by Adrian Croft; Editing by Kevin Liffey)