THE Iranian and US foreign ministers were sitting tight in Vienna yesterday as a nuclear energy deal remained just out of reach.

A second deadline passed on Tuesday night in talks aimed at lifting Western sanctions on Iran over its nuclear energy programme in return for assurances that the Middle Eastern nation is not developing nuclear weapons.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif cancelled his visit to the Brics summit in Ufa, Russia, in order to see through negotiations with the P5+1 group of world powers after the deadline passed.