11th Jul 2015 18:01
VIENNA (Alliance News) - The key players in talks on a long-sought nuclear deal with Iran failed to make a breakthrough Saturday as marathon negotiations in Vienna entered into their third week.
"Still have difficult issues to resolve," US Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted after meeting his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU chief diplomat Federica Mogherini.
Diplomats from six major powers have made clear that lack of progress on the weekend could soon result in a decision to interrupt or end the talks.
Kerry and Mogherini, who chairs the six nations, have warned Tehran's leaders that the talks could soon fail unless they made the political decision to back the deal that would place their nuclear activities under strict long-term limitations and inspections.
Economic sanctions would be lifted in return.
Iran and the group of Britain, China, France, Russia, the US and Germany have been haggling over the exact sequence and timing of dismantling nuclear equipment and scrapping the embargoes on Iran's oil exports and international banking ties.
The question of lifting separate UN embargoes on missile technology and conventional arms trade with Iran has emerged as an especially divisive issue.
While Iran and Russia want to see these UN measures lifted quickly, Western powers are concerned about Iranian arms shipments to its allies in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern hot spots.
The six countries said Friday that they would extend the talks until Monday, indicating that a decision about breaking off negotiations might be made unless there is a breakthrough by then.
Copyright dpa