For Iran Nuclear Talks, Russia's Final-Hour Curveball Could Prove Fatal

In a March 11 tweet, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the final text of a deal restoring compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal -- formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- was ''essentially ready,'' but that ongoing talks between global powers in Vienna to reach the agreement needed to be paused ''due to external factors,'' referring to Russia's recent push for sanctions relief. Over the last 10 days, Russian negotiators in Vienna have demanded Western governments guarantee the sanctions they've imposed related to the Ukraine invasion do not threaten Russia's economic, political and military relationship with Iran. In response, the United States and its Western allies have struggled to come up with a concession palatable to Moscow, causing Russian negotiators to table an amended version of their demands (which were functionally the same) earlier this week. The impasse has, in turn, placed Iran...