states. so i can't say that it's a major threat to the united states in the sense that, you know, the soviet union's nuclear arsenal was during the cold war. this is very different than that. but you could say that it's certainly a threat to u.s. interests. >> it's certainly a threat to israel, which has been clearly out spoken about this, very concerned about these talks and these negotiations. france, it seems, has joined their concerns. we are now finally, seeing people sitting behind the podium. so we are going to take a moment here, i believe they are about to start speaking, and listen in, of course, as we know, no deal tonight between iran and world leaders, but there is hope that there could be a deal reached sometime in the future let's listen in and see what they have to say. >> thank you very much, michael. we have come from a long meeting this evening with the ministers

after what i think you all know has been three days of intention and constructive discussions. a lot of concrete progress has been achieved but differences remain. we will to think the members who came to join us and our u.n. hosts. we will reconvene together with the rannian negotiating team here on the 20th of november thank you. >>.

>> addressing? >> right now, let's watch in. they are having audio problems there in geneva. listening to see how this goes. >> first of all let me think lady ashton for her introductory statement the countries are working together andhome we will be able to reach an agreement when we meet again. we have done a lot of work. i hope we can do more. >> i want to agree with what minister zarif said. >> we can be hopefully of getting a goal.

getting what? >> a final deal. >> we are in intention negotiations. our objective is to reach a conclusion. >> that's what we will come back to try to do. >> a gentleman there. thank you for coming. >>: it plays an important role. they placed it: but of course,

you know, i am very grateful. >>. >> i really, lady ashton, i think we all, different members of their views and i am grateful to all of them for being here with us and for helping the process. >> fine question, and i will hand off.

>>. >> i will speak up very loudly. >> now, it's okay. >> thank you very much for coming to speak to us mr. zarif, could you tell us a little bit more how you feel at the end of these very long discussions are you disappointed you haven't reached a deal? are you disappointed with france's position? and what do you expects from the the talks when you reconvene on the 20th of november? how wide are the differences still when we start dealing with the details there will be difference views and we expected that. i am not disappointed at all because the meeting we just had, a very long, over two hours' meeting with running after

midnight. the end game:

and to contact the centers and the lu

♪ >> we hope that secretary john kerry will talk in moments about the failed nuclear talks with iran. there was hope that a deal could still be reached later this month when those talks resumed and phil is there, standing by for us live and, phil, i understand that you have new information? >> reporter: yes, we just received some information from the russian foreign minister. it is interesting to note that he has basically also said that

he would like to note the leading role by the u.s. delegation by john kerry and the secretary of state's involvement at this critical stage. he stayed that the mood is there to work constructively and he is looking forward to the next round that occurs on the 20th and we're awaiting to hear from secretary of state john kerry but wee's heard from katherine ashton and the iranian foreign minister that a deal could not be reached during these three days, three days plus now that we're into sunday here in geneva but we hear then from all of the foreign ministers who are putting out statements following the announcement that the deal was not reached. most of them seem to be saying

already that there is some progress being made and that there is optimism but, you know, we'll have to see whether or not that actually does happen when they reconvene in a week's-plus time. jonathan? >> explain to us, for those not familiar with the diplomatic moves, why are they taking a week's break? why not just continue the negotiations? >> well, because look you have some of heaviest hitters here on the diplomat continue stage. every single foreign minister has come in unexpectedly to a pate here and that was not planned. and they have other obligations around the globe. you know? secretary of state kerry had to cancel a trip to north africa to stay here and to continue negotiations. certainly the other foreign ministers have obligations that they need to attend to. but it is interesting to note that they are not giving it an

awful lot of time, not enough time for those who will oppose a deal to rally troops and then try to stop any kind of a deal before it really gets started and so the sense that there is still momentum is important and that they come back to the table as quickly as is reasonably possible so that they can try, at least, to try to pick up where they left off but as our guest a few moments ago was saying, it will be hard to keep the momentum, even with this 12 or 11-day gap that is going to happen. jonathan? >> phil, talk about the timing, because the timing is critical in this. there is much concern that the longer that this will drag on, the more leverage that iran gets. correct? >> well, certainly. i mean, there is a strong desire, obviously, by a number of parties that -- that there is never going to be a deal with iran.

there is an awful lot of distrust which has been built up since the '79 revolution. and it has been interesting to note that some who have watched here say that the iranians and the united states have actually held more direct talks in these last 24 hours than they did in 30-plus years and so there's the issue of overcoming that distrust. and it will be vital if this is going to continue without any outside interinterference from third parties. >> well, world leaders seem rather optimistic tonight as we heard earlier from katherine ashton, eu foreign policy chief saying that concrete progress was made but differences remain. this is what she had to say moments ago. >> we will reconvene with the

directors here on the 20th of november. >> a lot of diplomatic language there, phil, but just how much do you think that you can read into that, especially given that we just heard from our guest that they can say one thing and say that they are close to a deal with the reality could well be something quite different. >> yes, obviously, jonathan, this is diplomatic speak. if you have covered any of these meetings before, they may come out and say one thing and might have smiles on their faces but, you know, this is not where they wanted to be. when these talks started, there was cautious optimism. that was the buzzword floated around here. the fact that they have not been able to come to an agreement certainly will be a disappointment. and so all of this talk of optimism, hope, good faith and what-have-you and progress made over the last three days

certainly we did hear during this process that progress was being made. we heard even before the talks started in a background briefing with the u.s. delegation that they thought that it was the first time that the iranians had ever come to these talks in earnest, willing to talk, sit down and hash out something but will they lose that momentum? will there be interference from outside? you know, they would not call for more talks and a resumption of these talks on the 20th if there was nowhere to go with this. it is not dead. does not look to be death at this point but there were some issues that were a road block that they could just not overcome. >> it is in the interests of iran to reach an agreement because the country is struggling because of these sanctions but if something does not happen. if there is no deal reached, is

there any more ref rank from the united states, other world leaders, to squeeze even tighter? >> well, that is a very good question, jonathan, something that was addressed even before these talks began because there are hardliners back in the states, you know, on the hill who say, well, the sanctions brought the iranians to the table and perhaps if we were to apply more sanctions, that will get them to lean where we want them to go but the us delegation that came in here, they told us that -- that quite the opposite could happen, that that could actually poison the well and make things worse, make the stress so unbearable that the iranians will see those sanctions as pure belligerence and then walk away. if that is to happen, it will be a dangerous situation because it means that the diplomatic path will have closed and what happens after that, well, you know, there have obviously been

talks of a military option but the u.s.a. says that that should be the absolute last option on the table. they much prefer the idea of trying to talk to the iranians. they do not -- there has been no discussion of a complete lifting of sanctions. they say that possibly by easing some things, perhaps as the iranians would like to see an easing on the oil exports and an unpresidenting of some of their foreign bank accounts, they say that they've been looking for that in a six-month interim period and would that then establish an atmosphere of better good faith and then improve things? well that was on the table for these three days. what stopped it were enough to keep those sanctions from being lifted. it is important to note that one of mandates that was brought in when the president was brought

to office included an easing of sanctions. how much time does the president who was seen as a comparative moderate have if, indeed, that mandate is not fulfilled? and so, you know, there is a lot of tenuis issues here, will the iranians return, come back to negotiate with the americans, p-5 plus one, or does it come to a point where they will say that neither one trusts one another or will the americans say that or the p5? this is not completed. it is far from pleated and november the 20th will be a day in which at least some of these issues will be brought back up and, as i said, you

know, they would not call another round on the 20th if there wasn't some hope for more progress. >> a lot of unknowns tonight, phil, you are right. back now to robert standing by in boston with the harvard kennedy school. i want to discuss that with you robert. overall, the pressure that iran is under, especially at home to reach some kind of a deal. just how desperate would you say that the iranian government is to ease those sanctions? >> rohani, he was elected based on a promise that the sanctions would be rolled back and hard-liners would like to see rohani fail. he and other moderates in iran criticized the ahmadinejad team for getting iran into the sanctions in the first place and

getting the nuclear issue turned over to the security council of the u.n. and they offered themselves as able to start to get iran out from under that. and this will certainly play into the hard-liners advantage if that is to fail and i could see backlashes from this if we do not get some kind of a deal in the near term where hard-liners could be resurgent. >> and that may be why we saw the iranian foreign minister sounding optimistic, saying that it was a good meeting, in his words productive, something to build on. listening in now to what he had to say. >> it is a showing of political will, readiness, determination and good faith in order to test this. and that is important.

and that gives us the impetus to go forward. we had a very good, productive three days. that is something that we can build on and move forward. >> and so iran clearly under pressure to reach an agreement, robert. and many say that, well, the solution is frankly easy. iran, just abandon your nuclear ambitions. so why is that not so easy? >> well, certainly that is out of question for this rohani team. they cannot give up the nuclear program. iran maintained consistently that this is a civilian program. they've taked their credibility domestically to holding onto that program. to suddenly do a 180, to give that up to get out from under sanctions, t