VIENNA: Russia's negotiator has described a "very worrying" slowdown in progress in nuclear talks between Iran and six major powers ahead of a June 30 deadline to finalise a historic accord.
Sergei Ryabkov's remarks on Friday came as US Secretary of State John Kerry said upon his release from hospital after breaking his leg that he would soon head to Vienna in a bid to seal the deal after the outlines of an agreement were reached in April.
"The rate of progress... is progressively slowing down," Ryabkov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti as he arrived for the latest round of talks in Vienna.
"This is very worrying to us because there is very little time before the deadline and we urgently need to enter the final stage."
Another Russian agency, ITAR-TASS, quoted a diplomatic source as saying that the talks -- which were ongoing late Friday -- are "practically stuck. There is a risk that the deadline will be extended again".
In April, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany agreed to the outlines of a deal aimed at ending the decade-old standoff over Iran's nuclear programme.
According to this framework, due to be finalised by June 30, Iran will dramatically scale down its nuclear activities in order to render any dash to making nuclear weapons all but impossible.
In return Iran, which denies wanting nuclear weapons, will see painful sanctions lifted by the six powers -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
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