Iran and the world powers are very close to a comprehensive nuclear agreement in the coming months, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said here .

“To prepare the details of the final accord we need an extension of the talks, and the seven-month extension is aimed at buying the time,” Zarif was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency.

Most of the negotiators over Iran’s nuclear issue believe that the final deal would be reached earlier than the new deadline, he said.

The Iranian foreign minister hailed what he called the “achievements” of nuclear negotiations for the country, saying that after the negotiations, “Iran has become safer”, and there is no war threat against the country, Xinhua reported citing IRNA.

After seven days of intensive nuclear talks which failed to meet the deadline for a comprehensive deal over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program, the foreign ministers from the Islamic republic and the P5+1 group — China, Russia, France, the US, Britain plus Germany — agreed last month to extend the deadline for another seven months, in an attempt to secure the prospects of a deal.

Based on the agreement, the interim Geneva deal, or the so-called Joint Plan of Action which was sealed Nov 24, 2013, will also be extended to June 30, 2015 with the fresh round of talks resuming this month.