The US secretary of state made the remarks in a press conference after Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Britain, France, China, Russia and the US - plus Germany concluded their negotiations, Press TV reported.

“There is no question in my mind that we are closer now, as we leave Geneva, than we were when we came, and that with good work and good faith over the course of next weeks, we can in fact secure our goal,” Kerry added.

The closed-door talks between Iran and the six world powers began in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday and were scheduled to end on Friday. Negotiations, however, stretched into an unscheduled third day and continued until the early hours of Sunday due to divisions among the six powers.

In a final joint press conference with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said progress was made during the “productive” talks and that the two sides had reached an agreement on a number of issues.

Ashton, for her part, also said that the two sides had made “concrete progress” in the talks, which she described as “intense and constructive.”

Ashton added that the next round of the talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council members plus Germany would be held on November 20.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for International and Legal Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said that the Iranian negotiating team will hold talks with the world powers’ political directors to work out a draft agreement.

HH/HH