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Iran Talks Hit Final Stage, Announcement Expected
(Not LBN'ing because it's not the announcement yet...)
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/iran-talks-hit-final-stage-announcement-expected-32407047
Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program entered their 17th — and possibly last — day in Vienna on Monday as diplomats continued to haggle over details ahead of the expiration of an interim accord.
With the temporary deal set to expire at midnight Monday Vienna time (6 p.m. ET), diplomats said they were planning to complete and announce a final agreement before day's end. But, they warned there was no guarantee with several issues still unresolved. The deadline for the end of the current round of negotiations has already been extended three times and the diplomats said there was little appetite for a fourth.
After more than two weeks of see-saw developments, including threats from both the United States and Iran to walk away, senior officials at the talks began expressing optimism that a deal was in reach on Sunday.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said twice that he was "hopeful" and met again with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday evening. After that meeting, foreign ministers and senior officials from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany held a group dinner.
With the temporary deal set to expire at midnight Monday Vienna time (6 p.m. ET), diplomats said they were planning to complete and announce a final agreement before day's end. But, they warned there was no guarantee with several issues still unresolved. The deadline for the end of the current round of negotiations has already been extended three times and the diplomats said there was little appetite for a fourth.
After more than two weeks of see-saw developments, including threats from both the United States and Iran to walk away, senior officials at the talks began expressing optimism that a deal was in reach on Sunday.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said twice that he was "hopeful" and met again with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday evening. After that meeting, foreign ministers and senior officials from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany held a group dinner.
It's relatively certain there will be an "announcement" of a "deal" or "framework"; the big question is whether it will be substantive or whether it will just be a fig leaf to make it look like this wasn't a waste of everybody's time.
