Iran says nuclear deal may not be reached by deadline: report

A comprehensive nuclear deal could hardly be finalized by the Nov. 24 deadline, and all sides might discuss another extension by Sunday night, an Iranian official was quoted as saying.

It is impossible to agree on a comprehensive deal by Monday due to time limit and lots of details have yet to be discussed, an unnamed official with the Iranian delegation told the Iranian Students News Agency.

"The option of extending Geneva deal will be on the table, if we do not agree on a comprehensive political deal by the end of Sunday night (Vienna local time)," the official was quoted by the news agency as saying.

The official said Iran and the six world powers may try to reach a political deal that includes general principles rather than a comprehensive one.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry voiced a similar concern.

"We hope we're making careful progress, but we have big gaps. We still have some serious gaps which we're working to close," Kerry said Saturday in a joint statement with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The six countries -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- are holding talks with Iran in Vienna. It is hoped that a comprehensive deal would be reached by Monday that would ensure Tehran's nuclear program is totally peaceful, while, in return, Western states would phase out sanctions that have severely damaged the gulf nation's oil-dependent economy.

Kerry said the agreement would largely reduce Iran's nuclear capacity so that it won't be able to produce enough material for a nuclear bomb in at least one year. Enditem