Germany urges its partners, Iran to grab nuclear deal

BRUSSELS — Germany on yesterday urged its international partners and Iran "to seize the opportunity" to negotiate an end to the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program ahead of an end-of-month deadline.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who is negotiating with Iran on behalf of the world's five nuclear powers plus Germany, said that "we are entering a crucial time, a crucial two weeks."

Iran says its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity and at medical research but many in the West fear the Islamic Republic is trying to covertly build atomic weapons.

A deal that has taken shape over the past 15 months could see Iran freeze its nuclear program for at least a decade in exchange for the gradual lifting of international sanctions.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that after "more than 10 years of negotiations, we should seize this opportunity." He will join the foreign ministers of France and Britain and Mogherini for talks in Brussels later yesterday with their Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"There are areas where we've made progress, areas where we have yet to make any progress," said British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. "But the fact that we're all here talking shows the commitment on both sides to try to reach an agreement."

Zarif, who will meet separately with Mogherini ahead of talks with the three European ministers, will also hold several days of discussions with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Switzerland this week, as momentum builds in the nuclear negotiations.

The world powers and Iran have set an end-of-March deadline to reach a framework accord on the way ahead. Some officials have said persistent differences mean negotiators will likely settle for an announcement that they've made enough progress to justify further talks.