German, French envoys dubious about Iran nuke deal

Envoys from two of six world powers in the midst of heated negotiations with Iran cast doubt on a final deal with the Islamic republic as a final deadline approaches at the end of June.

Gerard Araud, Paris' ambassador to Washington, said that it is "very likely" that negotiators will miss the end of June deadline for a comprehensive deal, according to The Associated Press.

If a deal is reached by June 30 it is possible that the accord would be "fuzzy", leaving technical details to be finalized later, Araud added.

Speaking alongside Araud at the Atlantic Council think tank, Germany's ambassador to the United States, Peter Wittig, said that even under the best conditions, it would be impossible to provide Iran with the sanctions relief that it has been seeking before the end of the year, Reuters reported.

Iranian officials have insisted that sanctions relief under any deal should be immediate, further complicating prospects for an agreement.

Germany and France are negotiating alongside the U.S., UK, Russia and China in an attempt to finalize a deal with Tehran.

Negotiators have been trying to broker a deal that would see Iran's nuclear program come under unprecedented restrictions and inspections in exchange for billions of dollars of sanctions relief. The deal would reportedly freeze Iran's nuclear program for 10 years.

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.