US, partners on verge of missing Iran nuclear talks deadline

Diplomats are on the verge of missing another critical deadline Monday in talks aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program, and an extension appears likely.

{mosads}Secretary of State John Kerry told Iran on Sunday that it was time to consider extending the talks, a senior U.S. official told The Associated Press.

President Obama and other high-ranking U.S. officials have admitted in recent days that significant gaps remain in the talks.

“We’re working hard, we hope we’re making careful progress, but we have big gaps. We still have some serious gaps, which we’re working to close,” Kerry said on Saturday.

Officials from the permanent five members of the United Nations Security Council — the United States, France, Russia, China and Great Britain, plus Germany — have been working for months to try and strike a final deal with Iran since they missed the first deadline in July.

Kerry spent the weekend in Vienna, Austria, where he met with his foreign counterparts on the issue and worked the phones.

One phone call was with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has largely been critical of any deal with Iran because of threats Iran has made toward Israel.

Netanyahu warned in a TV interview Sunday that the U.S. should not to give in to Iran on levels of uranium enrichment, which could produce a nuclear weapon, and he urged the U.S. not to dismantle sanctions already in place.

On Sunday, Kerry met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union Envoy Catherine Ashton.

The signal of an extension indicates a deal is not in reach.

A second extension is possible after diplomats failed to reach a final agreement by the first deadline in July.

A year ago, negotiators first struck the interim nuclear deal with Iran, which formally took effect in January.

U.S. officials have said Iran has complied with the deal’s guidelines, which includes a requirement to limit the amount of uranium its government enriches, effectively freezing its program.

The level of uranium enrichment has been the major sticking point in the talks. Iran currently has 20,000 centrifuges and has previously stated it needs 50,000 centrifuges to fuel its existing nuclear reactor.

The U.S., however, doesn’t want Iran to increase its enrichment activities, fearing that it could be used to produce a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials have said their government’s program is only for civilian, peaceful uses.

Both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, have recently warned the Obama administration that Congress could pass tougher sanctions against Iran if a “bad deal” results from the talks.

Lawmakers also have demanded that the administration consult Congress on the substance of the negotiations.