South Asia Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin writes for Voice of America on the likelihood of the deadline for reaching a comprehensive agreement over Iran’s nuclear program being extended:
The word out of Vienna is that an Iran nuclear deal will not be completed by a July 20 deadline.
Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in Vienna on Tuesday that while marathon negotiations that started two weeks ago have made progress, “it is clear we still have more work to do.”
That the sides cannot quite close all the gaps is as much a function of politics as are technical concerns over aspects of the Iranian nuclear program. So much is riding on these negotiations that for either side to give in too quickly would likely be viewed negatively by key constituencies around the world and back home.