Iran says more time needed for n-deal

Tehran says it is unlikely to come to a final deal before the four-month deadline

More time is needed to work out the details of a final nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said.

"If a general agreement is reached on different issues in the nuclear talks, we will still need more time to negotiate the details," Iran Daily quoted Zarif as saying Friday, adding that "therefore, it is unlikely that we will come to a final deal before the four-month deadline".

In July, Iran and the P5+1 group, including the US, Britain, France, China, Russia plus Germany, agreed to extend negotiations over the former's disputed nuclear programme for another four months till Nov 24 as all sides could not narrow down the significant gaps on core issues during the past six months, Xinhua reported.

The interim deal, which took effect Jan 20, was designed to buy time for negotiations. Under the deal, Iran would suspend some sensitive nuclear activities in exchange for a limited relief from sanctions.

In recent months, the talks for a final deal stalled as all parties were still far apart on some core issues, such as Iran's future enrichment capacity.

Despite the six countries' more "cautious" approach to the talks, Iran and the P5+1 group have made overall progress in the nuclear negotiations over the past seven months, Zarif said.

"From the very beginning, we have contended that if there is a strong willpower from the West, nuclear negotiations can bear fruit very soon," he added.

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano is expected to arrive in Iran capital here Sunday for talks on continuing the cooperation between the two sides.