Iran president’s chief of staff heads to nuclear talks

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s chief of staff left Tehran for Vienna Friday to join talks seeking a nuclear deal with world powers, state media reported.

The official, Mohammad Nahavandian, posted a picture of a plane on his Instagram account, noting that he needed people’s prayers, as he headed to the negotiations, which have been extended a week beyond their June 30 deadline.

The official IRNA news agency described his trip as “a special mission” that would involve “necessary consultations” with Iran’s negotiators, led by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Both Iran and the six global powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States — have cautiously talked up the chances of a nuclear agreement in recent days.

However, differences remain ahead of the new, July 7 deadline, extended just days ago, for a deal designed to place a nuclear bomb beyond Iran’s reach in exchange for sanctions relief.

Iran denies seeking atomic weapons, but Western powers have continually said that there can be no nuclear deal without stringent inspections, including at military sites, a condition Iran has balked at.