Ali Vaez

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart have laid the groundwork for an extension of a Sunday deadline to strike a historic nuclear deal after intense talks in Vienna.

An interim deal to restrain Iran's nuclear programme aims to make it harder for the Islamic state to build any bomb but may still leave it, at least for now, with enough material for several nuclear warheads if refined to a high degree.

Pre-emptive military strikes aimed at forcing Iran to abandon its nuclear activities may end up having the opposite effect: convincing the Islamic Republic's leaders they need an atomic arsenal to secure their hold on power.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart have laid the groundwork for an extension of a Sunday deadline to strike a historic nuclear deal after intense talks in Vienna.

An interim deal to restrain Iran's nuclear programme aims to make it harder for the Islamic state to build any bomb but may still leave it, at least for now, with enough material for several nuclear warheads if refined to a high degree.

Pre-emptive military strikes aimed at forcing Iran to abandon its nuclear activities may end up having the opposite effect: convincing the Islamic Republic's leaders they need an atomic arsenal to secure their hold on power.