TEHRAN -- Iranexpressed optimism Tuesday concerning a potential agreement in the coming days to solve the country's controversial nuclear problem, after about two years of intensive negotiations, as the nuclear deal deadline was extended to July 7.
The most recent round of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers, for a long-term deal over the latter's long-disputed nuclear program, was extended from June 30 to July 7 in the Austrian capital of Vienna Tuesday, U.S. State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf announced Tuesday.
"Most of the problems have been settled and the remaining significant issues might be solved in the ensuing days," Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday.
"If an agreement is reached, we will commit to it provided the other party also commits to the terms," Rouhani was quoted as saying by state IRIB TV.
According to the deal, Iran will prove to the world that it was never after nuclear armament, he said.
Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad-Javad Zarif, was also optimistic regarding the imminent deal that would settle the country's disputed nuclear issue following months of vigorous talks.
"We want to reach an agreement, and I think it's possible," Zarif said following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Vienna, according to official IRNA news agency.
Zarif's comment complements his previous remarks Tuesday when he said that Iran's nuclear program solutions, agreed upon in April in Switzerland, can settle differences for a final nuclear deal.
"If we are to reach an agreement, it must include both western demands and ours. I believe the deal should be based on the Lausanne agreement, which provides a possibility for a solution," Zarif was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Talks are at a crucial stage and Iran is seeking a "fair and balanced" deal, he said Monday following one-day consultations with Iranian top officials in Tehran.
Zarif Tuesday reiterated that "reaching a long-term nuclear deal might be remote without recognition of Iran's nuclear rights." No deal will be sealed unless all the issues are agreed upon, he stressed.
Iran's atomic chief, Ali-Akbar Salehi, Zarif, along with the president's special aide, Hossein Fereidoun, arrived in Vienna Tuesday to negotiate a long-awaited deal at the eleventh hour of the self-imposed deadline.
An Iranian nuclear negotiator Tuesday said that despite meek progress, negotiations are advancing as negotiators pursue "a solid deal during discussions."
Iranian foreign ministers along with world powers will meet in Vienna to discuss remaining differences and details for their resolution, an anonymous official was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Iran and the P5+1 group - the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany- agreed on a framework of understanding in April, and set June 30 as the deadline for concluding a final deal, after missing two previous deadlines in June and November.
