Iran, powers nearing nuclear deal
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 program, but the Iranian foreign minister said no agreement would be announced on July 12.
After more than two weeks of negotiations in Vienna, Iranian and Western officials said the earliest an agreement could be ready was July 13, 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."
US Secretary of State John Kerry has cautioned that "major issues" remain to be resolved, and comments from both senior Republican and Democrat Senators on July 12 suggested that any final deal would also face tough scrutiny in Congress.
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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 program to cloak its intention - an accusation Iran strongly denies.
The goal of the deal being negotiated would be to increase the time it takes for Iran to produce enough enriched uranium fuel for a single weapon to at least one year from current estimates of two to three months - the "breakout" time.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday further measures were still needed to overcome the remaining obstacles in the Vienna negotiations, ISNA news agency reported.
"It might seem we have reached the top of the mountain. But no, there are still steps needed to be taken," ISNA quoted him as saying. "Even if we fail ... we have performed our duty."