Talks Delayed To Undetermined Date-Officials

Wires and social media reporting comments from unnamed officials stating that the talks in Vienna on the Iran nuclear deal have been delayed to an undetermined date.

• On Monday, comments from the Iranian spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Saeed Khatibzadeh seemed positive in terms of seeking a deal, but did leave the door open to talks being delayed until the next Iranian gov't comes to power following President-Elect Ebrahim Raisi's inauguration in August, saying that "it does not matter in which government and within what time span the agreement is reached".
• Delays to the talks could prove significant in influencing whether a deal on the US returning to the agreement and lifting sanctions, and Iran returning to compliance. There remains major opposition to the deal from Israel and some within the Western security alliance arguing that the sanctions on Iran are limiting the ability of Tehran to support its regional proxies, such as Hizbullah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
• Among the hardliners now set to take over the Iranian gov't, there is also likely the view that returning to compliance and allowing Western inspectors full access to Iran's nuclear facilities would weaken Iran too much in the eyes of its adversaries. With both Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei both believed to be personally hostile to a deal this could prove a major stumbling block to the removal of sanctions and the US rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).