As Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) finished another round of nuclear talks in Vienna to reach a permanent deal by the Nov. 24 deadline, moderate political elites in Tehran have kept their fingers crossed that the Hassan Rouhani administration’s pledge will resolve the country’s nuclear dossier quickly.

Officials from both sides have repeatedly declared in recent weeks that several important issues need to be addressed if a permanent deal is to be achieved. Last week, Abbas Araqchi, deputy Iranian foreign minister and a top nuclear negotiator, raised the possibility that talks could be extended, saying, "Time passes quickly, we are not still disappointed but if we cannot get a good enough result from this round of talks, it is obvious that we will not reach an agreement by November 24."

Araqchi’s comments came after discussions on the issue in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which ended on Sept. 26, with large gaps existing between the two sides. He disappointedly said Iran "expected some progress" during those discussions.

The United States is demanding that Iran significantly reduce its current enrichment capacity and maintain such restrictions for up to 20 years, while Tehran insists on building up much larger industrial-scale capacity within a few years.