Iran wants nuclear deal to secure "rights": FM

Iran is ready to seal a deal, in which the nuclear rights and interests of the Iranians are respected, the Iranian foreign minister told reporters upon arriving in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Saturday.

"If the other party is ready to recognize Iranians' rights, lift sanctions, fulfill its commitments and does not pose excessive demands, a deal will be reached to benefit all," Mohammad-Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by state IRIB TV.

"Time is not important. Only a good deal and appropriate result is important," Zarif said on the self-imposed deadline of Tuesday.

Zarif is scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday before their European, Russian and Chinese counterparts join the talks for a final rush for a potential nuclear deal before June 30.

On Friday, Zarif said he would go to Vienna "to secure a fair and lasting deal," tweeting that "Iranians want a dignified deal and reject excessive demands."

Iran and the P5+1 group -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany -- agreed on a framework of understanding in early April and set June 30 as a deadline for reaching a final deal, after missing two previous deadlines in June and last November. Endit