Understanding realities, political will are what Iran deal needs: Zarif

“Serious understanding of the realities” is what a nuclear deal between Iran and global powers calls for, said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif before leaving Vienna for Tehran late on Sunday.

We can reach a conclusion “with political will” and if all sides “move forward based on what we have already agreed without excessive demands,” he noted.

Zarif said that during last week’s ministerial level talks in Luxembourg the two sides agreed to stay in Vienna on Saturday and Sunday.

 “Foreign Minister Fabius has to go to New York, Foreign Minister Steinmier has business in Berlin, I’m sure Foreign Minister Hammond has business outside here and I had arranged for myself to be here for two days and go back to Tehran to take care of some business at home,” the Iranian foreign minister told the Press TV correspondent in Vienna.

He added that he would return to Vienna in time for Tuesday’s talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and others.

“What was important for us was to give the political directives to our political directors who will be doing the bulk of negotiations,” Zarif added.

Earlier reports said the negotiations could continue past a self-imposed June 30 deadline, but only for a few days.

“It’s fair to say the parties are planning to stay past (June 30th) to keep negotiating,” AFP quoted a senior US official as saying on Sunday.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia as well as Germany are holding talks to finalize the text of a possible deal over Iran’s nuclear program by the end of June.

The two sides reached mutual understanding on the key parameters of the potential deal in the Swiss lakeside city of Lausanne on April 2.