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Paris (AFP) - Top US diplomat John Kerry on Saturday sought to smooth differences with France over nuclear talks with Iran, agreeing with the French that there were still gaps to overcome in the "critical weeks" ahead.

The US secretary of state said it was up to Iran to prove its peaceful intentions to the world if it wants a deal on its nuclear programme ahead of the looming March 31 deadline.

He was speaking to reporters after a 20-minute meeting with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Paris where they tried to iron out their differing views on the deal.

France has privately expressed concerns that the final agreement will not include enough iron-clad guarantees to stop Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb.

"We want an agreement that's solid," Kerry said.

"We want an agreement that will guarantee that we are holding any kind of programme that continues in Iran accountable to the highest standards so that we know in fact that it is a peaceful programme."

Fabius emphasised that any deal to remove sanctions could not be thrashed out only between Iran and the US.

"These are multilateral negotiations and we are making sure our position is known," he said.

Fabius acknowledged that progress had been made in the months of talks since an interim deal reached on November 2013, but stressed "differences still remain" which had to be "overcome" and "there is still work to do."

In a show of unity, Kerry said he had "the same assessment" as Fabius.

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Iran must prove nuclear ambitions peaceful: Kerry