Kerry joins nuclear talks in Vienna

Associated Press

VIENNA

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held out hope of a last-minute nuclear deal with Iran on Thursday, as he added his diplomatic muscle to talks aimed at overcoming deep differences with Tehran over the size and scope of its future atomic activities.

After landing in Vienna, Kerry met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif and former EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on the sidelines of the talks that face a Monday deadline. U.S. officials said he would assess the situation and then decide on additional meetings and whether to stay in Vienna through the weekend. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius planned to join the talks today along with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

Senior negotiators are working on an agreement to reduce the potency of Iran’s nuclear program and slow its technical ability to produce atomic weapons. Iran insists it has no interest in making such arms but is negotiating because it wants an end to international sanctions meant to force an end to programs that could be used for such a purpose.

Before arrival, Kerry expressed hope that a deal could be forged by the Monday target date and said negotiators “are not talking about an extension” with Iran despite expectations that differences are too great to be bridged in the next four days.