Iranian President Sheikh Hasan Rouhani expected that talks Tehran and six world powers on a comprehensive deal over its nuclear program will reach a successful conclusion by a July 20 deadline.

Iranian President Sheikh Hasan Rouhani expected that talks Tehran and six world powers on a comprehensive deal over its nuclear program will reach a successful conclusion by a July 20 deadline.

"We are very likely to come to an agreement by the end of July," Sheikh Rouhani told reporters in Shanghai, speaking in Farsi through a translator. "We can achieve this."

His comments came after a fourth round of negotiations in Vienna last week.
The UN atomic watchdog said Wednesday that Iran has agreed to address some of the many long-held allegations that it conducted research into making nuclear weapons before 2003 and possibly since.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran has undertaken to implement "practical measures" by August 25.

"It takes time" to resolve outstanding issues, Rouhani said after he attended a regional security forum in China earlier this week.
"We cannot expect it to be resolved in a few meetings."

Iran confirms its program is for peaceful ends only insisting that is its right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) while Israel, which is believed to be the sole nuclear power in the Middle East with more than 200 nuclear heads, is not a signatory for this treaty.