John Kerry Changes Plans to Join Iran-World Powers N. Talks in Geneva

(FNA)- US Secretary of State John Kerry is to fly to join negotiations in Geneva on Iran's nuclear program, amid rising expectation of a breakthrough.

Kerry was on a tour of the Middle-East, but changed his plans at the invitation of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said a deal could be reached on Friday.

The Geneva nuclear talks bring together world powers (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) and Iran.

The BBC's Kim Ghattas, who is traveling with the US secretary of state, said Kerry's  dramatic decision to change his travel plans and go to Geneva is a clear sign that a deal with Iran may be within reach.

A senior state department official told the BBC that he was going "to help narrow differences in negotiations" between Iran and the Group 5+1.

Zarif told CNN on Thursday that Iran would not suspend uranium enrichment completely but could "deal with the various issues on the table".

The last meeting of the seven countries was in Geneva and lasted for two days on October 15 and 16. Both Tehran and the delegations of the G5+1 voiced satisfaction in the outcomes of the Geneva meeting and sent their experts to two days of talks in Vienna on October 30 and 31 to discuss details of Iran's new proposal for soothing the crisis.

Iran and the six world powers agreed in their third session of talks on October 15 to follow up on the nuclear negotiations on November 7 and 8.