Iranian nuclear talks process still precarious despite extension
Prospects for permanent agreement remain uncertain given gaps between parties and Republican opposition in US.
Add BT as a preferred source
IRAN and the P5+1 nations (the United States, China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and Germany) agreed on Monday to an extension until end-June 2015 of their talks aimed at forging a comprehensive, final nuclear deal. This follows failure to reach what would be a landmark historical agreement before the previously self-imposed Nov 24, 2014 deadline.
In intense diplomatic dialogue in recent days in Vienna, progress was made and it is hoped that a broad framework agreement might be possible within three months so that final details can then be tackled. Thus, the talks remain alive, but prospects for a permanent agreement remain uncertain given the gaps that remain between the parties.
There is also sizeable opposition to an agreement, including from conservatives in the US and Iran, and key US allies in the Middle East and beyond, including Israel and Canada. To date, these critics have remained relatively quiescent publicly, but it is likely that at least some of them will become more emboldened now.
