A senior Iranian official said Friday that an extension of nuclear talks is “possible” if negotiators fail to reach a deal by the Nov. 24 deadline.
Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi said “there is a possibility for everything even an extension of the negotiations,” according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
“The West should use the present opportunity well to reach a proper solution,” Araqchi said.
Iran is negotiating with the United Nations Security Council — Russia, China, the United Kingdom, the United States and France — plus Germany. Negotiators first extended the talks in July when they agreed to provide Iran access to oil export revenues that had been frozen abroad.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in September that progress had been “extremely slow,” a sentiment matched by a senior U.S. State Department official who described “very, very difficult understandings” negotiators had yet to reach.
The negotiators are seeking to reach a deal that would ease sanctions against Iran in exchange for Iran easing “future nuclear activities.”
