German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier (L), French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (2nd L), EU Deputy Secretary General for the External Action Service Helga Schmid (7th L), European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini (4th R), U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2rd R) and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (R) meet along with representatives from China and Russia during nuclear talks at a hotel in Vienna, Austria July 10, 2015 (Reuters)
A historic nuclear deal between Iran and major powers is "within reach" but still requires "political will", an Iranian diplomat warned Sunday amid signs talks in Vienna were nearing a conclusion.
"A deal is in reach. It only requires political will at this point," the diplomat, Alireza Miryousefi, said on Twitter on a 16th day of negotiations.
The talks are aimed at agreeing a deal curbing Iran's nuclear programme in order to make any push to acquire atomic weapons virtually impossible.
Nailing down the accord has become bogged down on several key issues and a string of deadlines have been missed during the current round of negotiations.
Optimism was rising however that a deal might finally be in sight ahead of Monday's new tentative deadline.
"I think we're getting to some real decisions. So I will say, because we have a few tough things to do, I remain hopeful. Hopeful," US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Twitter that these were "decisive hours".
"Ninety-eight percent of the text is finished," said a source close to the discussions late Saturday.
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