(VOVworld) - British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Wednesday he is not optimistic that world powers and Iran will complete nuclear deal by November 24^th. Hammond said during a visit to Latvia that if negotiators can make good progress in the right direction, they may be able to find a way to extend the deadline to get to the final deal. Meanwhile, US State Department spokesman Jeffrey Rathke told reporters that negotiators will focus on reaching a deal by the November 24^th deadline and not talk about an extension.

Envoys of 6 world powers and Iran gather in nuclear talks in July. (Photo: AFP)

Negotiators for the P5+1 group will arrive in Vienna later this week. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country is a crucial player in the talks, will only come to Vienna if there is sufficient progress, according to Moscow's chief negotiator Sergei Ryabkov.

Since February, Iran and the six world powers have conducted several rounds of talks to turn an accord on Iran’s nuclear program adopted a year ago into a long-term deal. The deal must allay concerns that Iran is developing nuclear weapons under the guise of civil purposes. 2 key differences remain: uranium enrichment activity and the speed of lifting current sanctions against Iran.