No nuclear deal in prospect Thursday: Iran negotiator

A senior negotiator for Iran played down the prospect of reaching an agreement with world powers today on its controversial nuclear programme, Iranian media reported. "I do not think the negotiations will reach a conclusion tonight," Abbas Araqchi, a deputy foreign minister, was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency after an afternoon session with the P5+1 group of world powers.

The remarks came at a gathering in Geneva with political directors from Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany.

Araqchi said that the talks had been "serious" and had focused on remaining "points of difference." He was referring to Iran's insistence that the six recognise what it calls its right to enrich uranium.

Araqchi refused to speculate whether a deal would be clinched tomorrow, saying: "One cannot judge about tomorrow." The talks -- the third since President Hassan Rouhani, a reputed moderate, took office in August -- seek a long-elusive deal to allay Western suspicions that Iran's civil nuclear programme conceals a drive for a weapons capability.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had expressed hope for an interim agreement but called for flexibility and balanced positions by the P5+1 group.

Zarif said the talks were being held in "a positive atmosphere" and had gone into "details." He did not elaborate.