Diplomats from Iran and the P5+1 countries - the US, China, Russia, France and Britain, plus Germany - on Thursday gathered around the negotiation table in the Swiss town of Montreux for another round of talks to find a final and comprehensive deal on Iran's nuclear programme.
A source close to the negotiators said there is hope that a deal will be made, though US Secretary of State John Kerry said earlier that "significant gaps" remained barriers to an agreement, Xinhua news agency reported.
"We do think that it's the last stage, and hopefully we could reach an agreement," said Wang Qun, the director-general of the arms control department of China's foreign ministry.
"Basically there are two categories of issues," Wang told reporters. "One is how to see the non-proliferation concern removed and secondly is to see the Iranian right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology is ensured."
Earlier this week, Kerry held a three-day discussion with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Montreux, and then headed to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to discuss with gulf member states on the same issue.
The last round of unclear talks between the P5+1 and Iran was held some two weeks ago from February 21-23 in Geneva.
Under an interim deal between Iran and the P5+1 inked in November 2013, Iran said it would suspend critical nuclear activities in return for a limited ease of sanctions, with all sides seeking a comprehensive deal.
After twice missing self-imposed deadlines, the negotiators agreed in November 2014 to extend the deadline for another seven months, hoping to reach a deal, which could be one of the most important and divisive international agreements in decades.
