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U.S. to continue nuke talks with Iran until Thursday

Xinhua, April 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will stay in Switzerland for more nuclear talks with Iran till Thursday, as the Obama administration said on Wednesday that it will continue the dialogue as long as it was making progress.

"Our approach to these conversations hasn't changed, which is that as long as we are in a position of convening serious talks that are making progress, that we would not arbitrarily or abruptly end them," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a daily news briefing.

He said the talks, already extended past the Tuesday deadline until Wednesday, "continue to be productive and progress is being made."

"If we are in a situation where we sense that the talks have stalled, then yes, the United States and the international community is prepared to walk away," he added.

The intense negotiations held in the Swiss city of Lausanne will continue into Thursday, with Kerry staying there overnight, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf announced.

"Cont to make progress; have not reached a pol understanding. @ JohnKerry will remain in Lausanne until at least Thurs AM to cont negotiations," Harf tweeted.

Washington and other major powers -- Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany -- are working hard on a framework deal over Iran's controversial nuclear program, as they are seeking to seal a comprehensive accord by the end of June.

"The time has come for the Iranian negotiators to begin to make the kinds of serious commitments that the international community, including the United States, will insist upon," Earnest said, reiterating Washington's position.

"Those are commitments related to demonstrating that they have shut down every single path to a nuclear weapon, and indicating a clear commitment to cooperating with an intrusive set of inspections," he added. "And while the talks have been productive, we have not yet received the specific tangible commitment that the international community seeks."

Iran insists on the peaceful nature of its nuclear program, saying it is only for power generation and medical purposes. Endite