US says 'credible chance' of reaching agreement on Iran's nuclear programme

The United States thinks that there is a "credible chance" of reaching an agreement on Iran's nuclear programme in the coming months, a top State Department official said.

Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday that the U.S. believed that a nuclear deal, that would be in the best interests of America's security, as well as that of its allies and partners may be one the cards, reported News24.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany hope to reach an agreement on the major elements of the deal by the end of March and finalise the technical details by June, he said.

His statement comes as Congress lawmakers push to impose new sanctions on Iran and challenge President Barack Obama's Iran policy.

Obama has however, urged them to hold off the new wave of sanctions until negotiations are going on and has said that he would veto any sanctions that come to his desk. He said that the odds of reaching a deal are less than 50-50.