Negotiators fail to reach deal but US secretary of
state insists "real and substantial progress " has
been made .
Negotiators have extended talks on Iran 's nuclear
programme for a comprehensive agreement
until July 2015 after failing to meet a Monday
deadline , diplomats said .
Iran and six powers - the US, China , Russia ,
Britain , France plus Germany ( P 5 1) - have been
negotiating for six days in the Austrian capital
Vienna to turn an interim accord reached with the
Islamic Republic a year ago into a lasting
agreement.
The six nations want Tehran to scale back its
nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of
sanctions.
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday
defended extending a deadline for a deal with Iran,
saying " real and substantial progress " was made
during the talks. He called on US lawmakers not to
impose new sanctions on Tehran.
"We have made real and substantial progress , "
Kerry said in Vienna . "This is not the time to get
up and get away . . . . We look for your support (in
Congress) for this extension . "
Kerry also praised his Iranian counterpart
Mohammad Javad Zarif , saying that he had
"worked deligently and approached these
negotiations in good faith and with seriousness of
purpose ".
"That 's what it takes to try to resolve the kind of
difficult issues here ," Kerry said
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