Nuclear talks with Iran

FEW issues have vexed diplomats more in recent years than Iran’s controversial nuclear programme. But as negotiators from the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group (comprising the permanent members of the UN Security Council along with Germany) resume their talks in Vienna on May 13th, the mood is relatively upbeat. A breakthrough deal reached last November provided a breather that has built mutual confidence, with Iran putting some brakes on its programme in exchange for a mild loosening of international sanctions. Now comes the hard part. The two sides have pledged to reach a comprehensive agreement by the end of July that could, in theory, let Iran off the hook for good and relieve fears of a nuclear arms race in the already messy Middle East.

 

The target date is ambitious, and not just because the technical issues are fiendish. Serious gaps remain between what Iran wants and what the P5+1 seeks. Worse, a decade of frustrating diplomacy has left a prickly legacy of distrust not only between the parties, but between rival, sniping political factions within both Iran and the West. In the past, cries of treachery from America’s Congress or from Iranian hardliners have undermined…

Read More: The Economist explains: Nuclear talks with Iran | The Economist.