Another round of talks has led to yet more progress on a final P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran, and while EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said there were “no guarantees,” the statements from those involved remain upbeat.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif expressed confidence about the chances of making a deal, saying they could do it in “four or five months,” and possibly even less.
It was widely expected that a deal would take many months, though with the interim deal only made for six months starting in January, there is a lot of pressure to get the deal done as fast as possible.
US officials downplayed the chances of making any deal, and presented a six-month deal as all but impossible. Fortunately, the EU is driving the negotiations, and while the US is liable to be a tough sell, much of the pact could be sorted out without their direct involvement.