Signs of progress in Iran nuclear talks

Iran continued marathon talks with the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia in Vienna on Saturday in an attempt to resolve a 13-year standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.

The negotiations aim to finalize a deal that would see Iran curb its uranium enrichment capacity in return for relief from EU, US and UN economic sanctions.

Diplomats close to the negotiations told news agencies they had reached tentative agreement on a mechanism for suspending US and EU sanctions, but that the six powers had not yet agreed on a UN Security Council resolution to lift UN sanctions.

"We still haven't sorted a Security Council resolution," a diplomat told Reuters. "We don't have Iran on board yet."

An Iranian official said there were "still differences which are being discussed."

Western countries have long feared that Iran is covertly seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but Tehran maintains its nuclear program is solely for civilian and scientific purposes. The international community slapped Iran with economic sanctions over its refusal to curb its uranium enrichment activities. Lifting those sanctions has proven one of the toughest hurdles for negotiators to resolve.

Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have repeatedly demanded the sanctions be lifted once a deal is struck. But Western negotiators insist that Iran act first to curtail its nuclear program.

After missing several deadlines to reach a final deal, negotiators are now aiming to thrash out an agreement by July 7. US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif later on Saturday. The foreign ministers of France and Germany are expected in Vienna on Sunday.

Courage and compromise

Speaking from the Vienna hotel where talks are being held, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said Saturday the world had "never been closer" to reaching an accord.

At "this 11th hour, despite some differences that remain, we have never been closer to a lasting outcome," Iran's chief diplomat said.

"Getting to yes requires the courage to compromise, the self-confidence to be flexible, the maturity to be reasonable," he added.

Besides the issue of sanctions relief, other points of contention include the UN's investigation into possible military dimensions of Iranian nuclear research, and Iran's demand that it be allowed to continue developing advanced centrifuges - machines that purify uranium for use in power plants or weapons.

In a possible sign of progress, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced Saturday that it may be able to complete its probe into Iran's alleged nuclear weapons projects by the end of the year.

"With cooperation from Iran, I think we can issue a report by the end of the year on the assessment of the clarification of the issues related to the possible military dimensions," IAEA chief Yukiya Amano told reporters in Vienna.

He added that there was now a "general agreement" between the IAEA and Iran on the investigation, but more work needed to be done.

nm/sms (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)