Geneva, Switzerland (CNN) -- Iran appears keen to progress swiftly toward a deal reining back its nuclear program in return for relief from international sanctions that have crippled its economy, a senior U.S. administration official said Wednesday. She was speaking on the eve of a fresh round of talks scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Geneva between the five permanent -- and nuclear-armed -- members of the U.N. Security Council, along with Germany and Iran. "For the first time, we believe Iran is ready to move this process forward quickly. For the first time, we're not seeing them just use this as a way of buying time," the senior U.S. administration official told journalists in a background briefing.
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Senior U.S. official: "We believe Iran is ready to move this process forward quickly"
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Talks set for Thursday and Friday in Geneva with Security Council, Germany and Iran
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Tough international sanctions have hobbled Iran's oil-driven economy
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United States accuses Iran of covertly developing a nuclear bomb; Iran denies this
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