Iran, P5+1 Working Hard But Not Rushed at Nuclear Talks in Vienna - Zarif

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that Iran's delegation will stay at nuclear talks in Vienna as long as needed to reach a comprehensive deal on its nuclear program.

VIENNA (Sputnik) — Iran and the P5+1 group of international negotiators are working hard to reach an agreement at nuclear talks in Vienna but are not rushed, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Thursday.

The P5+1 group of negotiators and Iran have extended their original end-of-June deadline to reach a comprehensive deal twice but EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Tuesday they would continue working until an agreement was reached.

"We're working hard, but not rushed, to get the job done. Mark my words; you can't change horses in the middle of a stream," Zarif wrote on Twitter.

We're working hard, but not rushed, to get the job done. Mark my words; you can't change horses in the middle of a stream. #IranTalksVienna

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 9, 2015

Later, answering a question on how long Tehran's negotiators are ready to stay in Vienna, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said "as long as necessary." 

The West has been long accusing Iran of facilitating its nuclear weapon development under the guise of a peaceful nuclear energy program.

The long-anticipated agreement envisions sanctions relief for the Islamic republic in exchange for the curtailment of its nuclear program for a decade or longer.

The remaining issue is said to be Iran’s demand for the UN Security Council to lift its conventional weapons program ban, with the timing of sanctions relief largely settled.