Iranian Nuclear Talks Extended for Seven Months

Unable to break the impasse between Iran and the Western powers negotiating the issue of the Iranian nuclear program, the parties agreed to a seven-month extension in Vienna last night. The Joint Plan of Action that detailed the earlier exchange of reduced sanctions for a halt in higher-level uranium enrichment is also extended until the end of June. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani went on television Monday night to tell the Iranian people of the “significant victory” the extension represents and promised that “negotiations will lead to a deal sooner or later.” Under terms of the interim agreement, Iran benefits with about $700 million in sanction relief monthly while the talks are ongoing. Western diplomats spoke alternatively about “substantial progress” and “significant points of disagreement.” Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded to word of the extension by reiterating that the deal believed to be on the table was “terrible” and that an extension is preferable to closing a bad deal. Netanyahu argues that the agreement being discussed would remove the burden of sanctions from Iran but would allow Tehran to continue its work toward perfecting nuclear weapons.