Iranian Deputy FM Blames Limited Time for Failure in Reaching Deal with Powers

(FNA)- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi said Tehran and the six world powers failed to strike a final agreement before the November 24 deadline due to the time limitations.

"We didn’t reach an agreement since we had a limited time. If we may have had more time, we could have ended the talks in this (10th) round," Takht Ravanchi told reporters in Vienna on Monday night.

He expressed optimism about attaining the final deal in a short period of time, and said, "As Mr. (Mohammad Javad) Zarif (the foreign minister) said we think that we can reach an agreement in a short period of time – of course no exact date and time can be predicted."

Takht Ravanchi said that the ideas of Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) have come closer to each other in the latest round of talks in Vienna.

His remarks came after Iran and the six world powers broke off negotiations on Monday and decided to meet again in the next 7 months after missing a deadline to clinch a final deal to resolve their 12-year standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.

Zarif and EU coordinator Catherine Ashton announced last night that the talks had been extended until July 10, and the world powers had taken up to release $700 million of Iran's frozen assets on a monthly basis.

The 10th and last round of negotiations between Iran and the six world powers was held in Vienna from November 18 to 24.

In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 after they failed to reach an agreement on a number of key issues.