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Foreign ministers voiced cautious optimism ahead of the resumption of talks Saturday aimed at ironing out a deal over Tehran's nuclear program.
Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that important gaps remained over the way forward for resolving the impasse over Iran's atomic ambitions. But with the arrival of a number of European foreign ministers in Geneva, prospects appeared good for an interim deal in which Iran slows its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
"I want to emphasize there is not an agreement at this point," Kerry said shortly after arriving in Geneva Friday, in response to rising anticipation of a breakthrough over Iran's nuclear aspirations.
"We hope to try to narrow these differences, but I don't think anybody should mistake there are some important gaps that have to be closed," he told reporters.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, described the late-night session as "productive" but added, without elaboration, that "we still have lots of work to do."
Midway through the second round of negotiations, Kerry and his fellow foreign ministers sought to help cement a preliminary accord between Iran and the P5+1 nations — so called because they include the permanent five members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany.
Diplomats said a breakthrough remained uncertain and would mark only the first step in a long, complex process toward a permanent resolution of international concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. While Iran says it seeks only a civilian nuclear energy program, the West worries that Tehran's clandestine activities indicate it might want to build a bomb.
The arrivals on Friday of Kerry, U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague and French and German Foreign Ministers Laurent Fabius and Guido Westerwelle signaled that a pact with Iran may nonetheless be closer than ever before. Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, is expected to join talks on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, and Kerry held "intense" nuclear talks Friday night, an EU representative said, according to Reuters.
The talks will resume tomorrow, according to a senior U.S. official.
Kerry arrived from Tel Aviv, where he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who regards Iran's alleged atomic aspirations as a menace to Israel.
Netanyahu warned Kerry and his European counterparts that Iran would be getting "the deal of the century" if the other parties carried out proposals to grant Tehran limited, temporary relief from sanctions in exchange for a partial suspension of, and a pledge not to expand, its enrichment of uranium for nuclear fuel.
"Israel utterly rejects it, and what I am saying is shared by many in the region, whether or not they express that publicly," Netanyahu told reporters.
“The agreement in Geneva annihilates the possibility of peaceful resolution with Tehran,” he said, even though a deal has yet to be agreed upon.
The White House released a statement Friday saying President Barack Obama had reassured Netanyahu in a phone call of his "strong commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."
Israel is joined by Saudi Arabia, Iran's chief rival for regional influence, as the two Middle Eastern countries that have most voiced clear displeasure to Washington about a purported U.S.-Iran rapprochement. Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief previously admonished the United States for its interest in a deal.
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which Iran is a signatory, allows a nuclear program for civilian energy purposes. While the P5+1 have indicated they would agree to a deal that would allow a limited Iranian nuclear program with transparency safeguards, Israel has rejected anything less than a total relinquishment of the program and has repeatedly suggested it might attack Iran in the absence of total capitulation.
In Iran, clerics voiced crucial support for the Iranian negotiating team. The Friday prayer leader in the town of Meshgin, Gholamreza Baveqar, was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying, "The nuclear negotiators are sons of this nation and the Supreme Leader (Ali Khamenei) supports them."
Earlier this week, Khamenei accorded crucial backing to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's negotiating track with the West, warning hard-liners not to accuse him of caving to the old enemy, the U.S.
Iran, which harbors some of the world's largest oil and gas reserves, wants the six powers to lift increasingly tough restrictions that have slashed its daily crude sales revenue by 60 percent in the last two years.
Iran and the powers are discussing a partial nuclear suspension deal covering about half a year. If a preliminary deal is reached, it would be followed by many rounds of intricate negotiations in the next few months aimed at securing a permanent agreement.
One of the main ideas under consideration is the disbursement, in installments of up to around $50 billion, of Iranian funds frozen in foreign accounts for many years. Other ideas include temporarily relaxing restrictions on Iran's trade in petrochemicals and precious metals.
Both sides have limited room to maneuver, as hard-liners in Tehran and Washington could sharply criticize any agreement they believed went too far in offering concessions.
Tehran wants respite from an array of international sanctions choking its economy. The U.S. has said world powers will consider some sanctions relief if Iran takes verifiable steps to rein in its nuclear program.
Al Jazeera with wire services
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