South Asia Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin writes for Al Jazeera America on the recent extension of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 countries:
The failure of Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) to reach a nuclear deal by a self-imposed Nov. 24 deadline has not been greeted as a disaster by any of the key stakeholders, but the decision to extend negotiations well into 2015 raises a host of concerns.
Key questions include:
Will Russia and China continue to enforce U.S.-mandated sanctions against Iran?
Can President Barack Obama restrain the incoming Republican-led Congress from imposing further sanctions that the White House fears could prompt Iran to abandon talks?
Will President Hassan Rouhani see his influence within Iran’s complicated decision-making system further constrained by hard-line opposition and public disappointment?