VIENNA – Any thaw in relations between Iran and the United States under the pressure of Iraq’s turmoil is unlikely to hasten progress in difficult negotiations seeking limits on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Recent high-level U.S.-Iran talks that were meant to pave the way to a final nuclear deal only highlighted the two nations’ huge differences, say two diplomats, further diminishing expectations that a July 20 target date for agreement will be met.
U.S. and Iranian officials are both concerned by the swift advance of radical Islamist forces in Iraq and officials from the two countries met here briefly Monday. But the nuclear talks, a senior State Department official said, are “its own process.” The official demanded anonymity in line with State Department rules.
