‘Iran nuclear deal harder after November 24’

PARIS — Reaching a nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers will be more difficult if negotiations drag beyond a November 24 deadline, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday.

Kerry, speaking ahead of his planned weekend talks with Iran’s foreign minister, said the United States and its allies were not — for now — weighing an extension of the negotiations.

“I think it gets more complicated if you can’t” meet the deadline, Kerry said, adding “it’s not impossible”.

Negotiators are racing to complete an agreement that would curb Iran’s nuclear programme — which Western powers say they fear is aimed at producing nuclear weapons — in return for gradual lifting of economic sanctions.

Kerry’s remarks seemed aimed in part at raising the pressure on Tehran to agree to the deal, which would see limits on its enrichment of uranium and inspections to verify Iran is complying with the agreement’s terms.

Iran says it nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.

“We have no intention at this point of talking about an extension, and we’re not contemplating an extension,” said Kerry.

The US secretary of state, who met earlier with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, spoke in Paris a day after US mid-term elections handed control of the US Senate to the Republican Party.

Kerry predicted the change in Senate control would not affect the Iran nuclear talks.

“What is complicated is managing internal expectations in other places,” he said. He was not more specific, but appeared to refer to US allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, which remain extremely wary of any deal with Iran.