Talks between Iran and the P5+1 countries, the five United Nations Security Council members plus Germany, have clearly showed how serious the parties are and at the same time how tough the talks have been in an effort to reach a deal before the 24 November deadline. Iranian and American officials have not disclosed much of the detail of the two days of high-level talks in Muscat, the capital of Oman. The talks were meant to come ahead of a last-ditch push in Vienna which should take place next week to meet the deadline. However, the outcome was left unclear and “little progress” were the words used to describe the meetings in Muscat. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi who briefed the Iranian media privately in Muscat said that “after hours of talks we made little progress. Differences remain and there are still gaps over issues.” It is clear now that the focus has switched from making a comprehensive deal to just making a deal. This will mean keeping the talks going beyond November 24. It could entail agreeing over specific details and issues that might not be as general as the Geneva Interim Agreement signed a year ago. The objective of the talks is simple in that they are seeking to agree on a formula that will reassure the international community that Tehran is not seeking to develop atomic weapons while still allowing it to develop a civilian nuclear programme. In return, the US and European Union would be required to loosen the economic sanctions that have crippled Iran's finances in recent years. But no one seems to know what the exact issues are that are preventing Iran and the US from narrowing the gap between them, but it is clear that American concerns are focusing on the number of centrifuges that Iran can use to enrich fuel at its nuclear sites. Iranian concerns are that all the sanctions should be removed as soon as agreement is reached. The sanctions against Iran have been implemented by the UN Security Council and the US congress, the US president and also the European Union, and it will be difficult to remove them all in a short time. Oman did its best to keep a positive spirit during the two days of talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and EU representative Catherine Ashton. While Omani officials called the meetings “very progressive” to create a positive atmosphere for the negotiators, the reality and the body language of the officials signalled otherwise. Iran and the United States acceptance to meet in Muscat and let an outsider mediate between them was a sign of their eagerness to find a solution to wrap up the talks before the deadline on 24 November. The hope of making a nuclear deal with the West was also high in Iran, with social media being full of messages from Iranians seeking updates on Monday before Zarif and Kerry concluded their meetings. The meeting in Oman has been one of the most important conducted by Iran and the US since the negotiations began a year ago. However, it has been largely out of bounds to journalists, with details rarely discussed even within a small circle. Certainly the level of secrecy and keeping the negotiation details out of the media loops was one of the most important priorities of the negotiators and the present team. The nuclear deal also has strong opponents in Iran and the United States, and these are keeping a close eye on any move to find flaws and create problems for the negotiators. The Keyhan newspaper in Iran, known for representing hardline views, in its 10 November issue published a provocative picture of Zarif shaking hands with Kerry in Muscat on its front page. The headline was “The parliament stressed the need to observe red lines at the nuclear talks.” The newspaper also published a letter signed by 200 members of Iran's parliament warning the negotiators, meaning that Keyhan and its supporters are unhappy at a possible deal between Iran and the US and closer ties between the two countries. It's not only Israel that is becoming sleepless over fears that Iran and the United States may be getting closer to finalising a nuclear deal, as Republicans in the US are working on the same path. The biggest threat to the talks is not only the issue of the fuel enrichment or sanctions. It also comes from people who are busy trying to jeopardise the talks and send them back to the drawing board. Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, told the Al-Alam TV news channel a day before the talks began that a return to the post-Geneva agreement would be a dangerous scenario for all. “If we don't reach a deal, the possible scenarios are very bad. It is better not to think about them and to think about the agreement instead,” he said.
