VIENNA (AP) — A senior American official says the U.S. has told Iran it's time to consider extending nuclear talks past their Monday deadline.
The move marks the first formal recognition by Washington that a deal won't be reached by the target date, creating the need for add-on talks.
The official says U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made the proposal to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the latest of a series of meetings since Kerry arrived on Thursday to add his diplomatic weight to the talks.
The decision comes a little more than a day before the target date for a deal focusing on capping Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
At the same time, formal talks with Iran on bridging the differences are continuing.