Iran nuke talks to be extended until July

Nuclear negotiators have failed to meet a Monday deadline for a deal that would ease international concerns about Iran’s atomic programme and are poised to extend the negotiations for a comprehensive agreement until July 2015, diplomats said.  Under the terms of limited agreements reached after a frenetic six days of talks in Vienna, a political accord is to be completed by 1 March, with final details contained in annexes to be sealed by 1 July, the diplomats said.

Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany had set a deadline of midnight tonight to come to a final agreement on a mechanism whereby Iran’s pathways to develop a nuclear weapon would be closed in return for relief from international sanctions. Instead, British foreign secretary said it ‘was not possible to meet the deadline’ due to wide gaps.