France says Iran talks 'hitting a wall'; July deadline in doubt

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By Stephanie Nebehay and John Irish GENEVA/PARIS (Reuters) - France told Iran it must cut back a key part of its nuclear program and Tehran cast doubt on the chances of meeting a July deadline for a deal with world powers, highlighting the major hurdles negotiators still face. Iran's talks with six major powers on curbing its nuclear program in exchange for an end to sanctions could be extended for another six months if no deal is reached by a July 20 deadline, a senior Iranian official said. Singling out a big gap in negotiating positions that will be difficult to overcome in less than two months' time, France's foreign minister said Iran should drop a demand to have thousands of uranium enrichment centrifuges. Iran - which says its nuclear program is peaceful and rejects accusations it has been seeking to develop a nuclear weapons capability - now has around 19,000 centrifuges installed, of which roughly 10,000 are operating, according to the U.N. nuclear agency.




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