VIENNA (AP) - The fate of a possible landmark nuclear deal with Iran sank further into limbo Tuesday, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Tuesday noting "very real gaps" ahead of a July 20 target date for a deal meant to put firm curbs on Tehran's atomic program.
Kerry, who joined the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany on the weekend to add diplomatic muscle to the talks, said the negotiations would continue until at least Sunday. In the meantime, he said, he would consult with President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress on where the talks are if no pact is agreed on by July 20.
"There has been tangible progress on key issues," Kerry told reporters. "However there are very real gaps on other key issues."
He spoke after multiple conversations with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif and separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, who also converged on the Vienna talks in an attempt to move them forward.
Both sides may face a hard-sell on extension. Many Congress members are already skeptical about the sense of trying to get a negotiated reduction in Iran's nuclear program and oppose going on with them. Any decision to go past July 20 would also be likely criticized by hard-liners in Iran, who fear the talks will result in a scaling-back of their country's nuclear program.
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