French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says three sticking points in the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries are blocking a final nuclear deal.

“As far as France is concerned, we are insisting especially on necessary limitations on nuclear research and development, sanctions and their re-establishment, and the possible military dimensions,” Fabius told reporters as he arrived at Coburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday.

He added that the French negotiating delegation has received instructions to proceed with constructive determination.

“This is the only way to find a robust agreement,” the French minister said.

He noted that he would leave the Vienna talks to attend a government meeting and parliamentary debate in Paris on Wednesday, but will return to the Austrian capital and rejoin the negotiations Wednesday.

Marathon nuclear talks continue in Vienna as Iran and the P5+1 countries – the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany – are making efforts to settle the outstanding issues and nail down a landmark final deal over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iran and the six countries missed an initial deadline of June 30 and all parties agreed a new one of July 7. However, the negotiators agreed to extend the deadline until Friday, July 10, after they failed to reach consensus.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Tuesday that the talks between Iran and the P5+1 countries would continue “for the next couple of days.”

“We are continuing to negotiate for the next couple of days,” Mogherini told reporters.

“This does not mean we are extending our deadline. I told you one week ago more or less, we are interpreting in a flexible way our deadline, which means that we are taking the time, the days we still need, to finalize the agreement,” she added.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that he would not attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit this week in the Russian city of Ufa.

He added that he was scheduled to accompany Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani in his visit to Russia to participate in the BRICS summit “but unfortunately I have to stay in Vienna for the nuclear negotiations.”

President Rouhani will head for Russia on July 9 for a two-day visit at the official invitation of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to participate in two major summits of the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Ufa.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi left Vienna on Tuesday to attend the BRICS summit. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also departed the Austrian capital.

According to Mogherini, the ministers “are ready to come back in the coming hours and days.”

Source: Press TV