Washington, June 30 (RHC)-- The White House has suggested that a nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers is within reach. As talks continued between negotiators from Iran and the six countries in Vienna, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Monday that a final agreement "is within our sights."

Earnest further said there were "still some important unresolved issues", admitting that a June-end deadline would be missed. "Our negotiators will remain in Vienna past the deadline in pursuit of a final agreement."

Some issues will not be "resolved in the next 36 hours. It will require additional time, and that's additional time that our negotiators will take in Vienna in pursuit of reaching an agreement," Earnest said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, however, said it was still "too early" to judge a possible deal as the self-imposed deadline approached. "We're just working and it's too early to make any judgments," Kerry told reporters in Vienna after a meeting with Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iran and the P5+1 -- the U.S., Russia, Britain, China, France, and Germany -- have been in talks to reach a comprehensive deal on Tehran's nuclear energy program following a mutual understanding reached in the Swiss city of Lausanne early in April after months of tough negotiations.