Zarif, Kerry Hold Nuclear Talk as Deadline Approaches

Local Editor

US Secretary of State John Kerry was set Saturday to try and seal a historic deal with Iran.

But just days ahead of Tuesday's deadline for Iran and six major powers to nail down the accord they hope will end a 13-year standoff, diplomats on both sides said Friday that major differences remain.

As a result, the June 30 target date may slip for few days setting the stage after almost two years of hard bargaining for yet another bruising and lengthy round of talks.

"Some major problems exist which are still blocking the work, but in other areas we have made good progress," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television Friday from Vienna, where the talks will be held.

"Overall, the work is moving ahead slowly and with difficulty," he added.

This was echoed by a Western diplomat, who said that several key issues including a stalled UN probe into Iran's past activities and the timing of sanctions relief remain "extremely problematic".

"The most difficult issues need to be resolved in the coming days: transparency, inspections, PMD [possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program], sanctions... On the major issues there is major disagreement," the diplomat said.

A senior State Department official said Kerry would meet Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday morning "to discuss the ongoing P5+1 nuclear negotiations".

In what was hailed as a massive breakthrough, the P5+1 and Iran in April reached an accord in Lausanne, Switzerland, on the main outlines of a deal, aiming to finalize it by the end of this month.

Earlier, The Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei, set out key "red lines" for the final agreement that all economic and financial sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council and the U.S. must be lifted on the same day that a final agreement is signed.

Imam Khamenei also took issue with the IAEA visiting military sites - vital for the UN investigation - and with the time periods for which Iran will halt certain activities.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team