There was a time in the not-so-distant past when the United States and its European allies were seemingly a stone’s throw away from clinching a nuclear agreement with Iran after 16 months of arduous talks.
Western officials were downright giddy; European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the man responsible for shepherding the negotiations across the finish line, told reporters last month that he was hopeful a deal could be finalized in a matter of days. U.S. officials joined the chorus of optimism, with White House national security spokesman John Kirby observing “we’re closer now than we had been in … weeks and months” thanks to Tehran’s decision to drop extraneous demands.
What a difference a few weeks makes. The Americans and Europeans are no longer using phrases such as “cautiously optimistic” to describe the current state of things. The same European governments that once applauded Iran for at least working with them in a constructive manner are now seriously questioning whether Tehran has the willingness and capacity to take yes for an answer.
