With world powers nearing what many hope is the finish line to a nuclear deal with Iran, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed on Thursday that the talks will be extended further, telling reporters that “we will not rush and we will not be rushed.”

Speaking from the Austrian capital of Vienna where ongoing negotiations are taking place, Kerry added: “We’re here because we believe we are making real progress.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday informed journalists from his hotel balcony that he is prepared to negotiate “as long as necessary” to close a deal with P5+1 countries: the U.S., Russia, China, United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

If the talks extend beyond Thursday at midnight, Congress will have 60 days instead of 30 to review the pact—potentially giving hawkish lawmakers more time to rally against the deal.  However, Jamal Abdi, policy director for the National Iranian American Council, told Common Dreams that the expiration of this deadline should not be interpreted as a collapse—or even a setback—in the negotiations.

“Since this deadline only applied to the U.S., either side may have perceived that the American hand would be weaker unless they demonstrated they were willing to ignore the deadline and keep negotiating,” said Abdi. “The parties are on the brink of a historic decision, it’s not surprising that this is going to take more time to get across the finish.”

Robert Naiman of Just Foreign Policy emphasized to Common Dreams: “Let’s wait and see. Those who want this agreement have waited for this agreement for years. We can wait one more day.”

Civil society groups in all countries involved, including Iran, have warned that a breakdown of talks would likely lead to military escalation, and potentially war, and worsen policies of sanctions and isolation that continue to devastate ordinary Iranians.