Momentum builds to uncertain conclusion at Iran talks
Diplomats scramble to make progress in the Iran nuclear talks on the eve of the Nov. 24 deadline; a Chinese diplomat is due to join the Vienna talks as a last-minute addition.
VIENNA — Foreign ministers arrived in Vienna on the eve of a self-imposed deadline to reach a final Iran nuclear accord, amid signs talks would likely have to be extended short of a still elusive, last-minute breakthrough.
“It’s too early to tell” if a deal will be reached in Vienna, President Barack Obama told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in an interview Nov. 23. “I think that what we’re going to do is take a look at what emerges over the course of the weekend.”
“The good news is that the interim deal that we entered into has definitely stopped Iran’s nuclear program from advancing, and in some cases has actually rolled [it] back,” Obama said. “So, now the question is, can we get to a more permanent deal. And the gaps are still significant.”
“We're continuing to chip away in Vienna,” Secretary of State John Kerry wrote on Twitter Nov. 23, adding the six world powers negotiating with Iran, the P5+1, are “still united.”
