British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Friday major powers and the Iranian regime were making slow progress in nuclear talks in Vienna, but that ministers would reconvene on Saturday to try and overcome the final hurdles.
“We are making progress, it’s painfully slow,” Hammond told reporters before leaving Vienna. “There are still some issues that have to be resolved. I’m confident our officials working with the Iranians over the next 12 hours will clear some more of the text.”
“Ministers will regroup tomorrow to see whether we can get over the remaining hurdles,” he added.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will also return to Vienna on Saturday, a French official said.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday that Berlin believes a nuclear deal between the Iranian regime and major powers is possible in the coming days.
“The negotiations are very intensive,” the spokesman told a government news conference. “The devil is absolutely in the detail.”
“I hope very much, and also expect, that in the coming days we will reach the point when decisions are taken on the political questions,” he added.
Over the past two weeks, the Iranian regime and the P5+1 states – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States – have twice extended deadlines for completing the long-term nuclear agreement.