A �senior US State Department official� said Friday night that �tough decisions� by Iran are necessary for a resolution in the nuclear talks in Switzerland.

The official briefed journalists�that a deal by an informal deadline of March 31 would not be reached unless Tehran made concessions:
Yesterday�s and today�s talks have been tough and very serious. We�re at that point in the negotiations where we really need to see decisions being made. We will test whether that is truly possible over the next several days.
The official spoke after the second day of meetings, led by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secetary of State John Kerry.

The same official had been optimistic on arrival in Lausanne on Wednesday night, saying the Obama Administration saw �a path forward� for an agreement by Tuesday.

Issues in dispute between Iran and the 5+1 Powers (US, Britain, France, Germany, and China) reportedly include the timing of the lifting of US-led sanctions and Iran�s retention of research-and-development uranium centrifuges in the Fordoo enrichment plant.

Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif also retreated from earlier optimism, �We think an agreement is still possible, but when is another story.�

American allies bolstered the line that Iran had to make concessions. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on a trip to Washington, �It is going to require a significant move by the Iranians to reach our redline.�

Hammond said that, rather than reaching a formal agreement, Iran and the 5+1 might issue separate statements next week.

By EA WorldView