China Sees 'High Possibility' of Iran Nuclear Deal

China's foreign minister said Thursday that he sees a "high possibility" of Iran and major powers agreeing a nuclear deal, but said all sides need to make "positive efforts."

"Hopefully a consensus can be reached among the parties. All parties concerned need to work together to uphold the international non-proliferation regime and help deliver a solution to this long-standing nuclear issue," Wang Yi said.

"All parties need to make positive efforts," Wang told reporters through an interpreter as he arrived at talks in Vienna.

He added: "We have confidence that finally the parties concerned will arrive at a fair, balanced and just agreement... I think there is high possibility."

Iran and the P5+1 group -- China, the United States, Russia, Britain, France and Germany -- are seeking to finalize a framework accord, and this week they effectively set a new deadline of July 7 to do so.

According to the framework, Iran will downscale its nuclear activities in order to make any push to make nuclear weapons extremely difficult.

Iran, which denies wanting the bomb, will see sanctions progressively lifted in return.

In Vienna Wang joined U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the foreign ministers of Iran, Britain, Germany and France and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

Yukiya Amano, the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog, was meanwhile holding talks in Tehran.