LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed in a phone call on Thursday that it was possible to conclude a framework Iran nuclear deal by the end of this month, Cameron's spokeswoman said.
Iran and six world powers, collectively known as the E3+3, are due to meet in Lausanne on Saturday to try to break a deadlock over Iran's sensitive atomic research by a March 31 deadline.
"Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to securing a deal," the spokeswoman told reporters after the 30-minute call.
"There was a clear sign from both of them that they saw the opportunity presented by the ongoing discussions in Switzerland and the possibility of securing a political framework by the end of the month."
Iran denies that it wants to acquire nuclear weapons, but the spokeswoman said Cameron told Rouhani that Iran needed to recognise the international community had concerns about whether its nuclear programme was being developed for peaceful purposes.
"The Iranians needed to take on board that the E3+3 would need to allay those concerns through any deal," she said. "We are clearly approaching this (with the idea) that it is possible to do a deal, we believe, with Iran, that will ensure we stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon."