Iran, powers nearing nuclear deal

VIENNA, (Reuters) – Iran and six world powers were close to nailing down a historic nuclear deal that would bring sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Tehran’s atomic programme, but the Iranian foreign minister said no agreement would be announced yet.

Mohammad Javad Zarif
Mohammad Javad Zarif

After more than two weeks of negotiations in Vienna, Iranian and Western officials said the earliest an agreement could be ready was today, the self-imposed deadline for clinching a deal, though that could be extended again.

“We still have got work to do tomorrow,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters from his hotel balcony. “No deal today.”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has cautioned that “major issues” remain to be resolved, and comments from both senior Republican and Democrat Senators on Sunday suggested that any final deal would also face tough scrutiny in Congress.

Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for the Iranian delegation, said on Twitter that the draft agreement Iran and the powers – the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China – were working on was “a 100-page document”.

Western powers have long suspected Iran of aiming to build nuclear bombs and using its civilian atomic energy programme to cloak its intention – an accusation Iran strongly denies.