In response to the Obama Administration’s imposition of new sanctions against key trading partners, Iran has withdrawn its negotiators from Vienna negotiations with the P5+1, and says they have yet to decide if they will return to them.
The interim agreement with the P5+1 forbids the nations from imposing new sanctions on Iran, but the administration’s new sanctions hit Iran’s trading partners instead of Iran itself, leaving them wiggle room to argue a technicality.
And argue they did, though Iran was quick to blast the move and Russia likewise termed it a violation of the “spirit” of the agreement, if not the actual letter of the text.
The Treasury Department is insisting the P5+1 deal is not going to interfere with their ongoing sanctions against Iran, and the Senate continues to push for more and more sanctions, even as the future of the deal is in serious doubt.
Diplomats familiar with the situation say it is too soon to say if the administration’s move did serious harm to the prospect of a final deal, but it seems likely that Iran will be much more cautious about the wording of that pact to avoid giving the US similar technicalities to exploit.
It didn't take long for Israel's sayanim to thwart diplomatic efforts. According to Wikipedia, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew "has extensive connections in the American Jewish community," "is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Brookings Institution," and a 2011 news release claimed he might help Obama ' "build a more friendly rapport" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.' AIPAC sponsored politicians in Congress are merely the backup plan.
The peace was nice while it lasted. Expect gas prices to rise again.