Negotiators at the Iran nuclear talks plan to announce tomorrow that they have reached a historic deal capping nearly a decade of diplomacy that would curb the country's atomic program in return for sanctions relief, two diplomats said today.
The envoys said a provisional agreement may be reached even earlier by today. But they cautioned that final details of the pact were still being worked out and a formal agreement must still be reviewed by leaders in the capitals of Iran and the six world powers at the talks.
Senior US and Iranian officials suggested, however, there was not enough time to reach a provisional deal by the end of the day.
All of the officials, who are at the talks, demanded anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly.
"We are working hard, but a deal tonight is simply logistically impossible," the Iranian official told AP, noting that the agreement will run roughly 100 pages.
The senior US official declined to speculate as to the timing of any agreement or announcement, saying "major issues remain to be resolved."
Despite the caution, the negotiators appeared to be on the cusp of an agreement.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who on Thursday had threatened to walk away from the negotiations, said today that "a few tough things" remain in the way but added "we're getting to some real decisions."
En route to Mass at Vienna's gothic St Stephens Cathedral, Kerry said twice he was "hopeful" after a "very good meeting" yesterday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had Muslim services Friday.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also was cautiously optimistic, telling reporters today, "I hope that we are finally entering the last phase of this negotiation."
Movement toward a deal has been marked by years of tough negotiations. The pact is meant to impose long-term, verifiable limits on nuclear programs that Tehran could modify to produce weapons. Iran, in return, would get tens of billions of dollars in sanctions relief.
The current round of nuclear talks is now in its 16th day and has been extended three times since the first deadline of March 31 was missed. The mood among negotiators had turned more somber each time a new target date was set.
As the weekend approached, Kerry declared the talks couldn't go on indefinitely and warned that the US could walk away from the negotiations.
