French diplomat doesn’t see Iran nuke deal by end of June

France’s ambassador to the US says world powers and Iran will probably miss an end-of-June deadline for a comprehensive nuclear agreement.

Gerard Araud says it’s “very likely” there will be no deal in the next five weeks, or even afterward.

He says much technical work remains, meaning any understanding reached could just be “fuzzy air.”

Araud spoke Tuesday at an Atlantic Council event alongside the British and German ambassadors to the US.

The three European countries are negotiating alongside the US, Russia and China.

German Ambassador to the United States Peter Wittig says no sanctions relief would take place before the end of 2015 even under a best-case scenario, according to Reuters.

The proposed deal would freeze Iran’s nuclear program for a decade, while providing Iran tens of billions of dollars’ worth of sanctions relief.

Iran says its program is solely for peaceful purposes. Many governments fear it harbors nuclear weapons ambitions.

— AP contributed to this report.