High-Level Nuclear Talks Are Now Underway With Iran

Kerry, Ashton, and Zarif in Vienna, Austria, on October 15, 2014. Photo by AFP

Iran, U.S., EU Tackle Nuclear Differences In Oman, Two Weeks To Deadline -- Reuters

(Reuters) - With two weeks to a deadline for a breakthrough deal, senior envoys of Iran, the United States and European Union met in Oman on Sunday to tackle stumbling blocks in efforts to defuse the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.

Reiterating Iran's official line, Ali Akbar Velayati, a top aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted by Iranian media as saying the Islamic Republic would not abandon its nuclear "rights" but was committed to the negotiations under Khamenei's leadership.

Western countries and close U.S. ally Israel suspect Iran has covertly sought to develop the means to build nuclear weapons, and a decade-long confrontation over the issue has raised the risk of a wider war in the volatile Middle East.

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Update #1: High-level talks underway on Iran nuclear program -- AP
Update #2: U.S., Iran Begin Nuclear Talks in Oman as Deadline Nears -- WSJ

My Comment: Israel is already raising it's concerns .... Netanyahu: Israel won't accept deal that leaves Iran a nuclear threshold state (Haaretz).

What's my prediction .... the Iranians have shown a willingness to compromise on every aspect of their nuclear program except one .... they are not going to budge when it comes to the military aspects of their nuclear program. Expect a take-it or leave-it offer from the Iranians .... and it will not surprise me if the U.S. actually takes it. The problem will be the U.S. Senate .... I just do not see the Republicans signing onto such a provision.