Putin Tells Rohani There is 'Real Chance' of Nuclear Deal in Geneva

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rohani to assure him that there is a "real chance" of securing a nuclear deal in the upcoming talks in Geneva.

The telephone call was made at Putin's request as Iran prepares to hold another round of talks with the P5+1 powers comprising Britain, France, China, Russia, Germany and the US on 20 November.

The previous round of talks, which ended on 10 November, failed to achieve any breakthrough despite hectic diplomatic efforts.

Amid growing expectation that the impending Geneva talks will pave the way for ending the decade-long nuclear impasse with Iran, the Kremlin said: "Vladimir Putin underlined that at the moment a real chance has appeared to find a solution to this long-running problem."

The Russian leader's telephone call has come in the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's forthcoming brief visit to Moscow. Netanyahu, who has been vocally condemning a potential agreement with Iran, is set to meet Putin on 20 November.

During the telephonic conversation with Putin, the moderate Iranian leader is reported to have expressed happiness over the progress made during the talks. However, he warned that "excessive demands" from the western powers will jeopardise any possible deal with Iran.

Rohani told Putin: "At the recent Geneva talks good progress was made, but everyone must realise excessive demands could complicate the process towards a win-win agreement. From our point of view, there should not be a situation in which the will of parties to reach mutually acceptable agreement is affected."

Apart from the nuclear talks, the two leaders also discussed the ongoing Syrian conflict and agreed to quickly convene an international peace conference.