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Iran talks kick into overdrive

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has said the negotiators need a couple more days to try to conclude a final Iran nuclear accord.
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini talks to journalists outside Palais Coburg, the venue for nuclear talks in Vienna, Austria, July 7, 2015. Iran and major powers will continue negotiations on an historic nuclear deal past a deadline for a long-term agreement, which is set to expire later on Tuesday, Mogherini said. "We are continuing to negotiate for the next couple of days. This does not mean we are extending our deadline," Mogherini told reporters. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger - RTX1JDO3

VIENNA — Negotiators “stopped the clock” at the Iran talks Tuesday as they ran up against a self-imposed July 7 deadline, saying they would continue the talks for the next hours or couple of days as they struggle to overcome differences on some tough and sensitive remaining issues to conclude a final Iran nuclear deal. But there were also signs of continued internal divisions within the six world powers on the issue of what should happen with a UN Security Council arms embargo on Iran, with Russia insisting that arms exports to Iran should be allowed.

“It is of crucial importance … how we can agree on the issue as soon as possible on the issue of arms embargo,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian journalists as he departed the talks in Vienna that were held over the past day between foreign ministers from Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1).

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