On the eve of the latest deadline for a nuclear agreement, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that talks between Iran and the 5+1 Powers �could go either way�.

Kerry, who had further meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna on Sunday,said:
It is now time to see whether or not we are able to close an agreement. We have made genuine progress�.

[But]�I want to be absolutely clear�with everybody: We are not yet where we need to be on several of the most critical issues.
Kerry � like the Iranian delegation � said the US is prepared to walk away without a resolution, �We want a good agreement, only a good agreement, and we�re not going to shave anywhere at the margins in order just to get an agreement�

Zarif said, �Still nothing is clear�.Some differences remain and we are trying and working hard.�

Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi added:
�If no agreement is reached, it would not be the end of the world. A good and lasting agreement needs political decisions and the time is now ripe for that.
Kerry and Zarif did not give details about the remaining gaps. However, key issues appear to be the provisions � if any � for inspections of Iranian military sites; the exact sequence for the removal of sanctions, linked to Iran�s limit on nuclear facilities and uranium stocks; and arrangements for re-imposition of sanctions if Tehran is found in violation of the agreement.

Last week, Iran and the 5+1 (US, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia) agreed to extend the deadline for a deal from June 30 to July 7.

If an agreement is reached by July 9, the review period by the US Congress is 30 days. If the deal is achieved after July 9, the review period is extended to 60 days because of the summer legislative recess.

By EA WorldView