What we’re watching Thursday

Good morning! Here are some of the stories we’re following on the Rundown this a.m.:

Iran

• After France and Iran traded barbs during talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton are meeting one-on-one. Talks are reported to be “very substantial and detailed.”

• Countries came together Thursday to discuss deals for Tehran’s nuclear program. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told the AP they are trying “to rebuild confidence that we lost in the previous round of negotiations.”

  Afghanistan

• Afghan President Hamid Karzai told a gathering of leaders, known as a loya jirga, that he supports the security agreement with the United States, but wishes to defer signing until after the country’s April elections.

• President Barack Obama, in a letter to President Karzai, promises that the security agreement will show “respect for Afghan sovereignty.”

Pakistan

• A reported U.S. drone strike killed six militants, including a senior figure in the Haqqani network, outside Pakistan’s lawless tribal area.

Iraq

• A truck bomb exploded at an outdoor vegetable market in the northeastern town of al-Saadiyah, killing at least 31.

Health Care

• The Washington Post reports that insurers are limiting choices of doctors and hospitals in an attempt to keep costs down.