Are The Iranian Nuclear Talks Doomed?

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L), U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman (2nd R) and staff watch a tablet in Lausanne as U.S. President Barack Obama makes a state address on the status of the Iran nuclear program talks, April 2, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool

Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post: Revolt on Iran

President Obama faces determined Republicans, nervous Democrats and a skeptical public on Iran. His desperation for a deal and serial concessions have heightened wariness about a deal that would leave Iran with its nuclear weapons infrastructure. But his biggest problems in foisting a deal on the West comes from two non-Western powers, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The Saudis have provided the perfect argument why no deal with Iran along the lines of the framework can be inked. The New York Times reports:

When President Obama began making the case for a deal with Iran that would delay its ability to assemble an atomic weapon, his first argument was that a nuclear-armed Iran would set off a “free-for-all” of proliferation in the Arab world. “It is almost certain that other players in the region would feel it necessary to get their own nuclear weapons,” he said in 2012.

WNU Editor: I expect the White House to continue to push for a deal .... even with all of these obstacles and roadblocks. But the momentum is shifting away from a deal, and unless Iran and Russia shift their position (which I doubt) .... these talks will end with one of two results .... (1) they are doomed to fail or (2) the deal will be rejected by Israel/Sunni-Arabs/etc. and they will do everything to make life difficult for Iran while pursuing their own nuclear program. In short .... Nobel Peace Prize recipient President Obama may be remembered as the President who laid the groundwork for a period of nuclear proliferation to occur at a level that has never been seen in this part of the world.