Iran nuclear announcement planned for today

VIENNA -- Negotiators at the Iran nuclear talks plan to announce today they've reached a historic deal capping nearly a decade of diplomacy that would curb the country's atomic program in return for sanctions relief, two diplomats told The Associated Press on Sunday.

The envoys cautioned final details of the pact still were being worked out. Once it is complete, a formal, final agreement would be open to review by officials in the capitals of Iran and the six world powers at the talks, they said.

Senior U.S. and Iranian officials suggested the drafting of documents could bleed into today.

All of the officials, who are at the talks in Vienna, demanded anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly.

"We are working hard, but a deal tonight is simply logistically impossible," the Iranian official said Sunday, noting the agreement will run about 100 pages.

The senior U.S. official declined to speculate as to the timing of any agreement or announcement but said "major issues remain to be resolved."

Despite the caution, the negotiators appeared to be on the cusp of an agreement.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who Thursday had threatened to walk away from the negotiations, said Sunday "a few tough things" remain in the way but added, "We're getting to some real decisions."

En route to Mass at Vienna's gothic St. Stephens Cathedral, Kerry said twice he was "hopeful" after a "very good meeting" Saturday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had Muslim services Friday. The two met again Saturday evening.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also was cautiously optimistic, telling reporters Sunday: "I hope that we are finally entering the last phase of this negotiation."

In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said an agreement was close, but not quite done, describing the negotiations as "still steps away from reaching the intended peak."

In another sign a deal could soon be sealed, Russian news agencies reported Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had arrived in Vienna. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also was expected later in the day. The other foreign ministers of the six nations negotiating with Iran already are in the Austrian capital and in position to join Kerry and Zarif for an announcement.

Movement toward a deal has been marked by years of negotiations. The pact is meant to impose long-term, verifiable limits on nuclear programs Tehran could modify to produce weapons. Iran, in return, would get tens of billions of dollars in sanctions relief.

The current round of nuclear talks was in its 16th day Sunday and was extended three times since the first deadline of June 30 was missed. The mood among negotiators had turned more somber each time a new target date -- first July 7, then July 10, then July 13 -- was set.

As the weekend approached, Kerry declared the talks couldn't go on indefinitely and warned the U.S. could walk away from the negotiations.

Diplomats familiar with the talks said most of the nuts and bolts of implementing the deal have been agreed upon.

But over the past week, issues that were on the back burner led to new disputes.

Among them is Iran's demand for a lifting of a U.N. arms embargo and its insistence any U.N. Security Council resolution approving the nuclear deal be written in a way that stops describing Iran's nuclear activities as illegal.

A diplomat familiar with the negotiations said disagreements also persist on how long some of the restrictions on imports of nuclear technology and other embargos outlined in any new Security Council resolution will last.

The diplomat, who demanded anonymity because the diplomat wasn't allowed to discuss the confidential talks, said restrictions will last for years, not months.

Meanwhile, Iranians were preparing to celebrate in the event of an agreement. Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported deputy police chief Brigadier General Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi said the authorities are fully prepared for such celebrations.

Despite Kerry's upbeat take, comments by Iran's supreme leader suggested Tehran's mistrust of Washington would persist no matter what the outcome of the talks.

Iran's state-run Press TV cited Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday as calling the U.S. an "excellent example of arrogance." It said Khamenei told university students in Tehran to be "prepared to continue the struggle against arrogant powers."

His comments appeared to be a blow to U.S. hopes an agreement will lead to improved bilateral relations that could translate into increased cooperation in a common cause -- the fight against Islamic State radicals.

Zarif had hinted at just that last week, suggesting a deal acceptable to his country will open the door to joint efforts on that front.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an opponent of what he considers a deal too lenient on Tehran, said Khamenei's comments showed Western powers are "caving" in to Iran even as the Islamic republic keeps railing against them.

A nuclear deal also will face scrutiny from members of the U.S. Congress.

"This is going to be a very hard sell for the administration," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on "Fox News Sunday" when asked about the likelihood of Congress signing off on a deal.