'We are making careful progress, but we have big gaps,' John Kerry says about Iranian nuclear talks

With Monday's deadline on talks between six major powers and Iran looming, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a deal on Iran's nuclear program was still in progress, The Week reports on Saturday night.

"We hope we are making careful progress, but we have big gaps, we still have some serious gaps, which we're working to close," Kerry is quoted by the news agency as saying on Saturday. "We are working hard."

The meetings aim to curb Iran's nuclear program, in exchange for Western powers lifting sanctions on the country that have crippled its economy. Iran has refused to reduce the volume of uranium it is capable of enriching, which Western powers say could give the country the ability to develop a nuclear bomb.

For its part, Iran says the program is merely used to produce civilian energy.