Gaps seen narrowing despite Iran nuclear deal failure

Tehran (AFP) - Diplomats insisted Sunday they were closing in on an agreement to curb Iran's nuclear programme despite the failure to clinch a long-sought deal in marathon negotiations in Geneva.

Israel meanwhile doubled down on efforts to avert a "bad deal," as Tehran insisted it would not abandon its "right" to enrichment and Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington was neither "blind" nor "stupid" about the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions.

Hopes had soared after top world diplomats rushed to Geneva to join talks, but faded as cracks began to appear among world powers when France raised concerns over a heavy water reactor being built at Arak.

But diplomats insisted they were zeroing in on an agreement to lift some of the crippling sanctions on Iran in return for the freezing of much of its nuclear programme, and planned to meet again from November 20.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of Russia -- one of six world powers negotiating with Iran -- said Tehran had been "decisive" in the "very substantial" talks aimed at renouncing "threats and sanctions".

His British counterpart William Hague -- who also attended the Geneva talks -- said it was "vital to keep the momentum" and insisted "a deal is on the table and can be done".

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida urged Iran to take further steps to clinch a nuclear deal in a meeting with President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran on Sunday.

Kishida "suggested" Iran accept the Non-Proliferation Treaty which allows unannounced inspections of its nuclear sites, said a Japanese spokesman.

The pause in talks has given a window of opportunity for opponents, particularly Israel, to derail the deal, which sees Iran's nuclear programme as a threat to its existence.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel would do all it could to keep the so-called P5+1 group of world powers -- Britain, France, the United States, Russia and China plus Germany -- from striking a "bad and dangerous" deal.

The short-term deal would have reportedly frozen or curbed some of Iran's nuclear activities, which Israel and the West suspect are aimed at developing the ability to build a nuclear weapon.

Iran, which insists its programme is entirely peaceful, would receive limited relief from sanctions battering its ailing economy while the two sides worked on a comprehensive agreement.

Israel asks 'Why the rush?'

Israel -- the region's sole if undeclared nuclear-armed state -- fears an agreement would remove sanctions while allowing Tehran to enrich uranium and advance work on the plutonium reactor at Arak.

On Sunday Netanyahu told CBS television that "Iran gives practically nothing and it gets a hell of a lot".

"That's not a good deal. I hope -- I can only express my wish -- that the P5+1 use the time to get a good deal that takes away Iran's nuclear military capability," he said.

The hardline Iranian Kayhan newspaper warned "rushing into an agreement would prompt the enemies to think Iran... is ready to give major concessions."

Rouhani sought to allay such concerns as he pleaded for the conservative-dominated parliament's support.

"There are red lines that must not be crossed," ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.

"The rights of the Iranian nation and our national interests are a red line. So are nuclear rights under the framework of international regulations, which include enrichment on Iranian soil."

Kerry offered similar assurances about the US position, saying Washington is "not blind, and I don't think we're stupid," insisting there is "zero gap" between the White House and its commitment to Israel.

Diplomats have seen a window of opportunity for the decade-long nuclear talks following this year's election of Rouhani, a reputed moderate who vowed to engage with the West.

Rouhani hopes to lift US and European sanctions that have more than halved Iran's oil exports, created serious obstacles in repatriating petrodollars and provoked rampant inflation.

One of the main stumbling blocks in the most recent talks was the Arak reactor, which would eventually give Iran a second route to an atomic bomb by producing plutonium as a by-product.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif did not rule out further talks over the reactor.

"We insist on our (nuclear) rights and technology but at the same time we are prepared to remove concerns of the other parties," he said.

Final say on Iran's nuclear work rests with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had expressed support for Iranian negotiators but also voiced pessimism about a breakthrough, citing decades of hostility and mistrust.