China's FM proposes considering extension of Iran's nuclear talks

The parties involved in Iran's nuclear talks may consider extension of the negotiation if time is not enough for a deal, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Vienna on Monday.

Wang said there are two possibilities -- one is that all the relevant parties might be able to "turn the corner" to work out a final comprehensive solution, and the other is prolonging the talks since the issue involves a lot of professional and technical aspects which need detailed discussions.

"If we don't have enough time here, I believe all the parties concerned will continue to think about whether we will be able to extend the duration of this negotiation and how long it will be extended," Wang told reporters in Vienna.

But the top Chinese diplomat hopes a deal on Iran's nuclear issue between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany (the P5+1) could be reached by the Monday deadline.

But the parties can not bridge the remaining major differences as the West wants Iran to significantly scale back its nuclear program while Iran insists its nuclear right is inalienable.

The sticking points are how many uranium enrichment centrifuges Iran can have and the speed of lifting sanctions.