8 November 2013 Last updated at 16:13 ET
John Kerry says no Iran nuclear deal yet
US Secretary of State John Kerry has stressed no agreement has yet been reached on Iran's nuclear programme and "important gaps" have to be closed.
He joined the UK, French and German foreign ministers for unscheduled talks with Iranian representatives in Geneva.
Russia's Sergei Lavrov had not been scheduled to attend but sources say he will travel to Geneva on Saturday.
Under a deal being floated, Iran could freeze expansion of its nuclear activity for limited sanctions relief.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he "utterly rejected" such a deal with Iran, its long-time enemy, and that his country would not be obliged to abide by it.
The West has suspected Iran's uranium enrichment programme is a step towards building nuclear weapons - a charge Iran strongly denies.
'Important gaps'
For the first time in years, talks about Iran's nuclear programme are moving fast, the BBC's James Reynolds reports from Geneva.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "Iran got the deal of the century and the international community got a bad deal"
The negotiations have also picked up new, critical purpose, he says - a chance for the US and Iran to explore an end to their three decades of mistrust.
However, although the sides appear closer to a breakthrough than during previous talks, the outcome still remains uncertain.
Mr Kerry interrupted the itinerary of his tour to the Middle East and North Africa to fly to Geneva after meeting Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
The US state department also said that Mr Kerry would not now make planned stops in Algeria or Morocco.
His meetings in Geneva include trilateral talks with top EU diplomat Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
On arrival, Mr Kerry said: "[We] hope to try to narrow the differences but no-one should mistake that there are important gaps to be closed."
The Geneva talks involve the P5+1: the US, Russia, the UK, France and China as permanent UN Security Council members, plus Germany.
The French, German and UK Foreign Ministers - Laurent Fabius, Guido Westerwelle and William Hague - are also in Geneva.
Mr Fabius said there had been progress but nothing "hard and fast".
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow hoped the talks would produce a "lasting result the entire world has been waiting for".
Friday prayer leaders across Iran urged the public to support the country's nuclear delegation as it negotiated "from a position of strength and with dignity".
Israeli pledge
Mr Zarif said on Friday there was "the general outline of an agreement".
Although details of the suggested deal have not been disclosed, it is thought to offer Iran a gradual easing of sanctions in return for a freeze on expansion of nuclear activities.
The Israeli prime minister argued the Iranians were getting sanctions relief while "not reducing in any way their nuclear enrichment capability".
Israel, Mr Netanyahu said, would do "everything it needs to do to defend itself and the security of its people".
He has said Israel is committed to making sure Tehran never gets a nuclear weapon. Defence analysts have speculated the Israelis may take military action to disrupt Iran's programme.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that any criticism of a deal was "premature".
"There is no deal, but there is an opportunity here for a possible diplomatic solution, and that is exactly what [President Obama] is pursuing," he said.
Since 2006 the UN Security Council has imposed a series of sanctions - including asset freezes and travel bans - on entities and people involved in Iran's nuclear programme.
Separate US and EU sanctions have targeted Iran's energy and banking sectors, crippling its oil-based economy.
The head of the UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, is travelling to Tehran on Monday to meet senior Iranian figures. bbc
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