Iran n-talks may go beyond July 20

The negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme will probably extend beyond the July 20 deadline and all sides involved might reconvene in September, diplomatic sources said Thursday.

Relevant sides were discussing the extension of the talks, and the next round of the talks could probably resume in September according to the preliminary plan, but the location has not been decided yet, the sources told Xinhua in Vienna.

After rounds of intensive negotiations and meetings of top diplomats, the talks made some progress on some key issues but real differences on some other key issues remain, which could hardly be resolved before July 20.

The sources noted the ongoing talks might end up no later than July 19, and the decision of extension might come Friday at the earliest.

The six world powers or P5+1 group - the US, Britain, France, China, Russia plus Germany - are engaging Iran to find a comprehensive solution to address concerns on its disputed nuclear programme.

In Washington, US President Barack Obama consulted with Secretary of State John Kerry about the extension. He told reporters after the meeting that Tehran had met its commitments under the interim deal but that big gaps remained.

"There are still significant gaps between the international community and Iran and we have more work to do," Obama said in a statement from the White House.

Kerry said in Vienna Tuesday that more work still needed to be done to reach a comprehensive agreement.

Diplomats and experts also believe that all sides need more time to bridge the remaining gaps based on the progress made.

Under the interim deal agreed in Geneva last November, Iran agreed to suspend some sensitive nuclear activities in exchange for limited sanction relief in a duration of six months to buy time for the diplomatic effort to end the deadlock.