Iran says 'little chance' of reaching nuclear deal with West by November

JPost

Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday that he believed it was unlikely a final-status agreement would be reached with the West over the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear program within the time frame that has been allotted in the negotiations.

"The chances that we will come to final understandings within the four months remaining are low," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is quoted as saying.

Zarif added that even if the parties come to a deal by the November deadline, they would still need more time to flesh out the fine print. The foreign minister said that the talks could lead to "quick results" if the P5+1 powers – the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany – display the necessary will. He said that in recent months, the discussions have proceeded carefully, although there has been progress.

In July, Iran and the six powers agreed to extend the talks after both sides were unable to reach agreement. The main dispute centered on the question of the extent to which Iran would be permitted to enrich uranium. The powers demanded that the Islamic Republic reduce the number of centrifuges to a symbolic few, while the Iranians countered with a proposal to increase the number of centrifuges and to subject them under international inspection.

This past Wednesday, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying that Washington has become increasingly hostile to Iran. "There's no point in engaging in direct negotiations with Washington," he said.

The moderate camp, led by President Hassan Rouhani, believes that Iran must reach an agreement immediately, particularly in order to boost the Iranian economy. The West has shown greater interest in investing in the Iranian economy, as evidenced by the 30 percent increase in oil exports.

"Cowards, go to hell," Rouhani said of the conservatives in Iran, this during the same week in which Iran's central bank received the final payment of funds that were frozen - $500 million, out of a total of $4.2 billion.

Another matter on the agenda that remains to be dealt with is regional dilemmas, particularly the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Military analysts believe that the organization is setting its sights on Iran.

"The real goal of ISIS is to get to Iran," wrote the Iraqi military analyst, Said Bazuka. "They misled the Iraqi military, making it think that it was on its way to Baghdad, but they turned toward Irbil since their real destination from the start has always been Khankin, near the eastern border with Iran. ISIS' real target is Iran, and the Mojahedin e-Khalq (an oppositionist group dedicated to the overthrow of the Islamic Republic) are waiting to join ISIS once they enter Iran."

In light of this analysis, the Iranians are becoming increasingly worried about the looming threat posed by ISIS.