VIENNA — The U.S. told Iran on Sunday that it’s time to consider extending nuclear talks, in the first formal recognition by the United State that frenzied last-minute diplomacy might not be enough to seal a deal by a rapidly approaching deadline.
A senior U.S. official said that with the Monday evening cutoff date a little more than a day away, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry proposed to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamad Java Zarf that the two sides start discussing post-deadline talks.
At the same time, two Western diplomats said, negotiations were continuing with Iran on trying to bridge differences on reducing Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons to levels acceptable to the United States while giving the Islamic republic the relief it seeks from international sanctions over its atomic activities.
All three officials demanded anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the talks that have been under a blanket of confidentiality since the sides started negotiating a nuclear deal eight months ago.
