Brussels- Britain's foreign minister said today talks to end a 12-year standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions still had some way to go before Western powers reach a deal with Tehran.

"We are closer than we were but we've still got a long way to go," Philip Hammond told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with his EU peers. "There are areas where we've made progress, areas where we have yet to make any progress."

Hammond, along with Germany, France and the European Union, will meet Iran's foreign minister later today in Brussels.