Analysis: Iran Nuclear Talks — Where Things Stand

TEHRAN — After years of marathon negotiations and several missed deadlines, crunch time has finally arrived for Iran's nuclear talks with the United States and five other world powers.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Sunday in Vienna with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, their third encounter since Saturday.

As gaps remained between all sides in the talks, Zarif planned to return to Tehran for 24 hours for consultations with Iran's leadership ahead of the June 30 deadline for a deal.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump administration’s deal with Nevada fuels data center fight in governor’s race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSLatino voters reject Trump’s immigration policies — and detail the personal impact

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAs Democrats eye big midterm gains, the Wisconsin governor’s race remains a nail-biter

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. military prepares new Iran war options ahead of midterm elections

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCIA probe into intel leak led to discovery of gold bars at agent’s home, sources say

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTexas Latino leaders clash with national Democrats in a meeting over gubernatorial race

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Still in this very long day that started on Oct. 7th’

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnimal rescues in Cuba struggle to care for abandoned pets amid deepening economic crisis

FOR SUBSCRIBERSLocals called their town ‘Almost Heaven’. A plan to open a Buc-ee’s exposed its underbelly.

Slide 1 of 1

An enormous amount of ground already has been covered between Tehran and Washington, old foes who once referred to each other as "The Great Satan" and a member of "The Axis of Evil," respectively.

But despite this progress, there are still red lines to overcome before a deal can be struck.

America, Britain, Russia, France, China and Germany — known collectively as the P5+1 powers — want to ensure Iran cannot produce a nuclear weapon. They are asking for thorough inspections and written guarantees, resulting in harsh consequences if Iran does not hold up its side of the bargain.

In return, Iran wants an immediate end to the economic sanctions it says have crippled its economy. It also wants to rejoin the international community and lose its image as a global pariah.

In order to do this, however, Iran needs to prove its claim that its nuclear program is for energy alone and devoid of any military aspirations.

Powerful elements on both sides remain deeply skeptical. Senior figures in Congress have warned they could trip up any pact that does not retain the power to carry out spot checks on Iranian facilities, or an agreement that lifts economic sanctions before Tehran begins to comply fully with its terms.

• Add to Google

Kerry: 'Confident' Nuclear Deal Can Be Secured With Iran

00:31

In Iran, hard-liners share a similar mistrust of the agreement in its current form. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said in a speech Tuesday that sanctions should be lifted "immediately" on a deal being struck and said inspection of Iran’s military sites was "out of the question."

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump administration’s deal with Nevada fuels data center fight in governor’s race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSLatino voters reject Trump’s immigration policies — and detail the personal impact

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAs Democrats eye big midterm gains, the Wisconsin governor’s race remains a nail-biter

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. military prepares new Iran war options ahead of midterm elections

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCIA probe into intel leak led to discovery of gold bars at agent’s home, sources say

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTexas Latino leaders clash with national Democrats in a meeting over gubernatorial race

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Still in this very long day that started on Oct. 7th’

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnimal rescues in Cuba struggle to care for abandoned pets amid deepening economic crisis

FOR SUBSCRIBERSLocals called their town ‘Almost Heaven’. A plan to open a Buc-ee’s exposed its underbelly.

Slide 1 of 1

Despite these differences, the general consensus among analysts is that both sides have come too far to let the deal collapse at this late stage. Coming after decades of mistrust and animosity, Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have shown an unprecedented amount of political will to get this deal done.

All eyes now focus on Tuesday, the deadline for a comprehensive agreement.

Here in Tehran, many residents are tired of being on the fringes of the international community, enduring spiraling prices of everyday goods and coping with limited access to certain medicines. For them, a swift deal will mean life can return to some semblance of normality.