president barack obama 's spokesman refused to give reporters an update on the status of the meetings or scheduling .
` the sense that we have is yes , that the talks continue to be productive and that progress is being made , ' he said .
speculation was swirling wednesday that negotiators were on the verge of a breakthrough as the french foreign minister rushed back to switzerland .
white house would n't talk about next steps if a deal could not be reached but admitted that a ` military option ' was on the table as well as sanctions .