Genuine progress has been made towards an Iranian nuclear deal following a series of meetings this weekend. However, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said "several of the most difficult issues" remain and the U.S. will not rule out walking away from negotiations if conditions are not met.
"We have in fact made genuine progress but ... we are not yet where we need to be on several of the most difficult issues," Kerry told reporters on Sunday, according to Fox News. "If hard choices are made this week we can get an agreement."
"If we don't have a deal and there is absolute intransigence and unwillingness to move on the things that are important for us, President Obama has always said we're prepared to walk away," he said, Reuters reported.
Kerry made the comments after his third meeting of the day with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and ninth day of negotiations in Vienna.
"We want a good agreement. We are not going to shave anywhere in the margins just to get an agreement," he added.
Foreign ministers from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia plan to return to Vienna Sunday evening to make a final push to meet the July 7 deadline for a final agreement.
While Kerry and Iran's head negotiator remained optimistic that the deadline could be met, other diplomats said it could be pushed to July 9, which is the date the Obama administration is expected to submit a deal to Congress to get an expedited 30-day review, according to Reuters. Negotiators missed the last deadline of June 30, but officials stressed this week that this is the final stretch.
"Extending the talks is not an option for anyone... We are trying to finish the job," Iran's head negotiator Abbas Araghchi told Iranian TV on Saturday, according to Business Insider.
Under a final accord, Iran would be required to curb its nuclear program for at least a decade. In return, Western powers are expected to provide relief from sanctions that have slowed Iran's oil exports and crippled its economy.
The specific time frame regarding the ending of economic sanctions has emerged as one of the thorniest issues, though a compromise seems to be emerging, Al Jazeera reported. Other sticking points involve future nuclear monitoring mechanisms and what kind of advanced research and development Iran will be allowed to continue pursuing.
The current standoff with Iran dates back to 2002, when dissidents revealed that Iran was operating undeclared nuclear facilities.
World powers suspect the country is developing a nuclear weapons capacity, but Iran maintains that its nuclear program is only for peaceful civilian purposes, such as generating electricity and making medical isotopes.
