Iran nuclear deal talks continue

Kerry, Iran official remain in Vienna as deadline looms

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry leaves Palais Coburg where closed-door nuclear talks with Iran take place in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. Kerry decided to pull back from nuclear talks in Vienna, leaving Iran's foreign minister to ponder an apparent new proposal from Washington meant to bridge differences standing in the way of a deal with less than four days to deadline. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry leaves Palais Coburg where closed-door nuclear talks with Iran take place in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. Kerry decided to pull back from nuclear talks in Vienna, leaving Iran's foreign minister to ponder an apparent new proposal from Washington meant to bridge differences standing in the way of a deal with less than four days to deadline. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif reversed plans to leave Vienna amid last-ditch negotiations to salvage a nuclear accord.

Kerry, who had announced he'd fly to Paris for "consultations with his European counterparts," now plans to stay in the Austrian capital as talks continued into Friday evening, spokesman Jen Psaki said. After reports in local media that Zarif would probably return home to speak with his country's leaders, the foreign minister told Iranian journalists that not enough progress had been made to warrant the trip.

The reversal underscores the high stakes and shrinking time frame as world powers seek to reach a deal with Iran before a self-imposed deadline Monday. The diplomats are still haggling, the key sticking points being Iran's nuclear capacity and the pace at which sanctions would be lifted.

"We have to get more flexibility from the Iranians," U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Friday in Vienna before meeting Kerry. "We are prepared to show some flexibility on our side. But time is short."

An accord already exists in draft version, containing a four- or five-page introduction followed by 30 to 40 pages of details, according to a senior Iranian diplomat cited Thursday by the Iranian Students News Agency.

"All the elements of an agreement are already on the table, and the task of diplomats now is to correctly put together a package," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday in Moscow, predicting that "common sense" will prevail and a compromise will be reached.

If that doesn't happen by Monday, negotiations may be extended, though there's a risk that opponents of the talks in both Iran and the U.S. may then derail the process.

While negotiators have said they remained focused on meeting their deadline, four Western diplomats said Thursday that an extension may be needed.

Iran has signaled it's willing to continue allowing intrusive international inspections of its nuclear facilities even if there's no deal this weekend, three of the officials said. The U.S. is "committed to pause" its efforts to reduce Iranian oil sales under the interim accord that's currently due to expire Monday, the White House said in a statement Friday.

The 11-year conflict over Iran's nuclear program has cast the shadow of war over the Persian Gulf nation with the world's No. 4 oil reserves. Israel and the U.S. have threatened military action to stop the Islamic Republic from acquiring an atomic weapon.

Iran, which says its program is solely for energy and medical purposes, has seen its economy squeezed and oil output slashed under sanctions.

A Section on 11/22/2014

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