The German Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said Berlin is “still hopeful” that a final deal on Iran’s nuclear program could be reached by the November 24 target date.
Martin Schafer said despite “differences” between Iran and the six major powers, “We can remain optimistic that an agreement will come out of the talks between the parties.”
He made the remarks at a news conference on Friday according to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine, the Mehr news agency reported.
Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) are trying to build on an interim nuclear accord they reached in Geneva last November to hammer out a long-term settlement to the nuclear dispute, which has dragged on for over a decade. They have set a November 24 target date to strike a deal.
The final deal would impose temporary constraints on Iran’s nuclear work in exchange for a phased lifting of sanctions.
The latest round of talks was held in the Austrian capital Vienna from Tuesday to Thursday. Both Tehran and Washington said “some progress” was made in the negotiations.
Parties Urged to Show Flexibility
Schafer noted that for Berlin “It is very important that the final accord could be signed by November 24,” otherwise the extension of talks would be “difficult”.
There is sufficient time for the parties to seal a deal, provided that both sides demonstrate “flexibility” and “seriousness”, he pointed out. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi last week raised the possibility that the talks could be extended and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this week that the deadline was not “sacred”.
However, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday, “There is no need to think about an extension.”
The US has also said it is focused on the November 24 deadline.
