John Kerry
John KerryReuters

A final deal on Iran’s nuclear program is still possible despite the difficulty of the negotiations, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday, according to The Hill.

"I don't believe it's out of reach, but we have some tough issues to resolve," Kerry was quoted as having told reporters during a press conference in Paris.

Representatives from the United States, Iran and five other world powers have set a deadline of November 24 for reaching a deal. The countries extended the talks after missing a self-imposed July 20 deadline, and an Iranian official hinted this week that the deadline may be extended yet again if an agreement cannot be reached by November 24.

"We need to continue to have some serious discussions, which we will, and we'll see where we are,” Kerry said, according to The Hill. “And I just think I'll let the negotiation process speak for itself at this point in time. I don't think anything is served by a lot of speculation at this point in time.”

On Monday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran was “certain” it would reach an accord with the West over its nuclear effort before the next deadline.

Kerry’s made his remarks after he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The Secretary of State said that Washington and Moscow remain “deeply committed to the diplomatic effort to try to reach an agreement that assures the international community of the fact that the Iranian nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.”

Kerry is set to hold talks in Vienna on Wednesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. is committed to meeting the next deadline.

“Let me be clear. November 24th is our deadline. That's where our focus remains and what all of our efforts are,” she was quoted as having said during a press briefing.

Psaki declined to comment on if there would be another extension in the talks.

“We have six weeks until the deadline. Our focus is on reaching that deadline,” she said. “The secretary is having a trilateral meeting tomorrow to continue to take steps forward.”

The Islamic Republic has been taking an increasingly aggressive line in demanding its "right" to enrich uranium, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently saying Iran "needs" 19 times more nuclear centrifuges than the amount being offered by world powers.

Meanwhile, members of an Iranian opposition movement revealed last week that the Islamic regime is continuing its nuclear weapon research at a secret location.

According to the Iranian resistance movement in exile Mujahedin-e Khalk, also known as MEK, Tehran is developing nuclear weapons after having relocated its research facilities to avoid detection.