Days ahead of a deadline to strike a deal , Iran 's foreign minister engaged Friday in what Britain 's top diplomat deemed `` complex '' but `` useful discussions '' on Tehran 's controversial nuclear program that -- despite positive vibes on both sides -- have yet to produce a breakthrough . `` There are still significant gaps , '' British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said from Vienna . `` ... We are going away for technical discussions . '' One person who was n't going away -- or at least leaving Vienna -- was Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif . Zarif met for a second time in recent days with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the European Union 's foreign policy chief , Catherine Ashton . His next meetings were with Hammond and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius . The Iranian minister once planned to return to Tehran on Friday night to consult with leaders there . But a member of his delegation said that , for the moment , the Iranian minister had no plans to leave Austria . There 's a lot at stake ahead of a November 24 deadline for the U.S. and five other world powers to reach an agreement with Iran over the Middle Eastern nation 's nuclear program . Iran and the group known as the P5+1 -- consisting of Germany , the United States , Russia , China , France and Britain , the latter five being permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- agreed last February on a framework for comprehensive negotiations over Tehran 's nuclear program . P5+1 and Iran agree on nuclear negotiation framework . In July , they agreed to a four-month extension of those negotiations -- another positive step , but still anything but a long-term agreement to put the issue to rest . A deal could mean an end to significant sanctions against Tehran and an opening up of the country to the West , a transition that would have begun with the June 2013 election of Hassan Rouhani as Iran 's president . The lack of a deal could further inflame tensions and could lead to more punitive measures -- perhaps more sanctions or even military strikes or a confrontation of some sort . Iran has insisted that like other countries , it has a right to develop nuclear power . Western powers have accused Iran of not being forthright enough and trying to develop not just nuclear power , but nuclear weapons as well . To this point , the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency , who is not part of Vienna talks , said Thursday that Iranian authorities are continuing to deny his agency access to a sensitive military complex suspected of being a site of nuclear activities . `` Iran has not provided any explanations that enable the Agency to clarify the outstanding practical measures , nor has it proposed any new practical measures in the next step of the Framework for Cooperation , despite several requests from the Agency , '' Yukiya Amano said from Austria . Kerry , America 's top diplomat , talked by phone with Sergey Lavrov , his Russian counterpart , about the Iran negotiations , Russia 's Foreign Ministry said . He had been scheduled to leave Vienna on Friday night but delayed his exit until at least Saturday `` in order to continue consultations '' with Zarif , Ashton and others , U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said . The same day , U.S. President Barack Obama made an announcement that seems to signal that , at the least , Washington has n't given up hope on a deal by announcing a `` pause ( to ) efforts to further further reduce Iran 's crude oil sales during the '' ongoing talks . `` In return for this and other limited relief measures , Iran has taken steps that have halted -- and in key respects rolled back -- progress on its nuclear program , '' the White House said in a statement . `` The International Atomic Energy Agency has verified that Iran is meeting these commitments . '' As to the talks , Hammond in a statement described them as `` positive discussions '' conducted in `` a very cordial atmosphere . '' `` It is clear that both sides want to try to get a deal done but none of us want a bad deal , and we are very clear that we have to get more flexibility from the Iranians , '' he said . `` In return , we are prepared to show some flexibility on our side . But time is short . '' Ali Larijani , the head of Iran 's parliament , sounded an optimistic note in remarks reported by IRNA . He said that when you look at the talks as a whole , there are grounds for a deal . `` As far as I 'm informed , the two sides have had serious talks , '' he said .
EU wo n't push to reduce EU 's oil sales ; thinks Iran has halted nuclear progress . Iran 's foreign minister meets with top diplomats from the U.S. , Iran , Iran . Britain 's foreign secretary : All sides want an agreement , no one wants `` a bad deal '' at least Saturday is the deadline for an agreement on Iran 's nuclear program .