Iran says time ripe for n-deal

Iran's top nuclear negotiator has said the ground has been prepared for a final deal with world powers over Tehran's nuclear issue, media reported Thursday.

"If the Western side is determined to reach a mutually satisfactory deal with goodwill, the conditions are prepared more than any other time," Xinhua cited Press TV as quoting Abbas Araqchi here at a meeting Wednesday with Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Lapo Pistelli.

Pistelli, on his part, said the nuclear negotiations proved dialogue could serve as a proper model for cooperation between the two sides on other regional and international issues.

After seven days of intensive talks which failed to meet the initial Nov 24 deadline for a comprehensive deal over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme, foreign ministers from the Islamic republic and the P5+1 group -- China, the US, France, Britain, Russia plus Germany -- agreed to extend the deadline by seven more months.

Under the agreement, an interim deal reached Nov 24, 2013, will also be extended to June 30, 2015, with a fresh round of talks resuming in December.