Iran Deal Nears, Russia Says Talks ‘One Minute From the Finish Line’

 

Sen. Schumer now supports deal after long opposition

by Jason Ditz 

Posted onMarch 2, 2022CategoriesNewsTagsIran

Indications are that the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna are effectively over. The deal is either going to happen, or it isn’t, and while in recent days there was a lot of pessimism, there is now reason to hope a deal may still happen.

Early in the week, everyone seemed to be souring on the deal. Now, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is reversing his long-time opposition and is praising the talks. A very influential senator, his reversal could indicate that America is less reluctant to making a deal, any deal, with Iran.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also pushing for the deal to be made this week, saying there cannot be any more delays. The time for a decision is here, and now.

Russian Envoy Mikhail Ulyanov offered a similar assessment, saying that the talks are “one minute from the finish line.” It seems that’s been the case, and it still comes down to whether everyone chooses to make the deal that’s in front of them or not.

Unfortunately, that still means things could go either way. Though Sen. Schumer’s comments may make the US more likely to deal than it looked before. Iran, for its part, remains very concerned about assurances the US will stay in the deal this time.

While it’s not clear the US has a mechanism for such an assurance, the Senate Majority Leader being comfortable with the deal would make it more likely the US would deliver on what they promised, something that never came out of the 2015 version of sanction relief.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/03/02/iran-deal-nears-russia-says-talks-one-minute-from-the-finish-line/