Reuters, Vienna :
World powers and Iran struggled on Saturday to overcome the differences preventing them from ending a 12-year standoff over Tehran’s atomic ambitions, raising the prospect of another extension to the high-stakes talks.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said “big gaps” remained with two days to go before a self-imposed November 24 deadline for an accord, despite signs of some headway. A European source said the chance of a final deal by Monday was “very small”.
The negotiations in Vienna between Tehran and six world powers – the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China – are intended to remove at least one source of potential conflict from the Middle East and its growing turmoil.
Diplomats said a framework accord was still possible, but that weeks or months would then be needed to agree on the all-important details of how it would be implemented.
They said continuing the negotiations – which have dragged on for more than a year, accompanied by a partial easing of sanctions – was preferable to letting them collapse and risking renewed tension. However, some said an extension could push the talks into a never-ending cycle of rollovers with few prospects of a final deal.
Despite the differences, a senior US State Department official said: “We are continuing to take steps forward.”
“The focus of discussions remains on an agreement, but we are discussing both internally and with our partners a range of options for the best path forward,” the official added, without elaborating on whether these included a possible extension.
The European source said there had been “no significant” progress on the main stumbling blocks – Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity and the lifting of the sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Iran says it will not be possible by a November 24 deadline to reach a comprehensive deal with world powers aimed at resolving the stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the Iranian Students News Agency ISNA reported on Sunday.
“Considering the short time left until the deadline and number of issues that needed to be discussed and resolved, it is impossible to reach a final and comprehensive deal by Nov. 24,” ISNA quoted an unnamed member of Iran’s negotiating team in Vienna as saying. “The issue of extension of the talks is an option on the table and we will start discussing it if no deal is reached by Sunday night,” the person said.
World powers and Iran struggled on Saturday to overcome the differences preventing them from ending a 12-year standoff over Tehran’s atomic ambitions, raising the prospect of another extension to the high-stakes talks.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said “big gaps” remained with two days to go before a self-imposed November 24 deadline for an accord, despite signs of some headway. A European source said the chance of a final deal by Monday was “very small”.
The negotiations in Vienna between Tehran and six world powers – the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China – are intended to remove at least one source of potential conflict from the Middle East and its growing turmoil.
Diplomats said a framework accord was still possible, but that weeks or months would then be needed to agree on the all-important details of how it would be implemented.
They said continuing the negotiations – which have dragged on for more than a year, accompanied by a partial easing of sanctions – was preferable to letting them collapse and risking renewed tension. However, some said an extension could push the talks into a never-ending cycle of rollovers with few prospects of a final deal.
Despite the differences, a senior US State Department official said: “We are continuing to take steps forward.”
“The focus of discussions remains on an agreement, but we are discussing both internally and with our partners a range of options for the best path forward,” the official added, without elaborating on whether these included a possible extension.
The European source said there had been “no significant” progress on the main stumbling blocks – Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity and the lifting of the sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Iran says it will not be possible by a November 24 deadline to reach a comprehensive deal with world powers aimed at resolving the stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the Iranian Students News Agency ISNA reported on Sunday.
“Considering the short time left until the deadline and number of issues that needed to be discussed and resolved, it is impossible to reach a final and comprehensive deal by Nov. 24,” ISNA quoted an unnamed member of Iran’s negotiating team in Vienna as saying. “The issue of extension of the talks is an option on the table and we will start discussing it if no deal is reached by Sunday night,” the person said.
