Iran Is Upbeat, But US Says Talk of Deal ‘Premature’

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna are entering a “critical and important stage.” Recent reports are that a lot of progress has been made, and Iranian officials appear to remain upbeat on a deal being reached.

Despite a lot of optimism about a deal, US officials are stepping forward to dismiss the notion, saying it is “premature” to anticipate a deal, emphasizing that there are issues that remain, and “little time” to work them out.

For US officials, the emphasis seems to be that until there is a deal, there isn’t one. At the same time, continuing to raise the idea of time running out when all indications are that a deal is very much in the offing.

Iran is urging negotiators to be “realistic” on the talks, likely trying to preempt any dangers that the US will respond to a near deal by tacking on a new round of demands. That’s a real concern since the US only recently brought up the matter of prisoner releases as a condition. The two sides are reportedly working on a prisoner exchange, though again nothing has been finalized.