(VOVworld) - The US hopes to reach a deal with Iran before the November 24^th deadline but is considering other plans in case no deal is reached, said a senior US diplomat on Saturday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, former EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the sidelines of nuclear talks with Iran in Vienna, Austria on November 22, 2014. Photo: Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images

The diplomat said that discussions focus on how to reach a deal, but the US is discussing internally and with other partners regarding optimal solutions ahead. This comment came as Iran and the P5+1 have not overcome their huge differences at their decisive talks in Vienna, Austria, to reach a deal with Iran before the set deadline of the November 24.