"Discussions are expected to address ongoing co-operation between the IAEA and the Islamic Republic of Iran. [They will seek] to accelerate the resolution of all outstanding issues related to Iran's nuclear program, including clarification of possible military dimensions."
Iranian state-run IRNA news agency

"It is still quite difficult; we have made some progress on a certain number of things. Now we are reaching a little bit the end of the path. So we must wrap this up in the coming days [before July 7]."
Western negotiating official, anonymous
 
"We are ready to strike a balanced and good deal and open new horizons to address important common challenges. Our common threat today is the growing menace of violent extremism and outright barbarity."
"Despite some differences that remain, we have never been closer to a lasting outcome. But there is no guarantee."
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zari

Breathtaking in the audacity of its hypocrisy, the Islamic Republic of Iran's blatant nonchalance is speaking of violent extremism and barbarity meant to spear the Sunni states of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf in their support of fanatical Islamist jihad, as though Iran by comparison is a beacon of light, a hallowed place of observation of human rights, not what it truly is, a supporter of terrorism, inciting violent attacks against Jews and Israel, vowing to destroy the nation, and just incidentally viciously oppressing its own Iranian dissenters.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke of Iran and the U.N. atomic agency having made some progress in attempts to answer questions about Tehran’s past nuclear activities, though work was required in an effort to fill in the missing blanks.  IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano had travelled to Tehran on Thursday to meet with Iranian President Hasan Rouhani and other senior figures in the Republic political hierarchy. All of whom will go out of their way to convince him that Iran has no plans to challenge its Muslim Sunni neighbours with the supremacy of its nuclear intentions.

Iran's President Hasan Rouhani, right, with the International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Yukiya Amano at the start of their meeting in Tehran on Thursday. Photo: Associated Press 

 

Concerns relating to Iran’s past nuclear history and Tehran’s obduracy in permitting IAEA inspectors to visit sensitive military sites remain two of the toughest obstacles remaining to reach a final deal, according to Iranian and western negotiators. Another contentiously obvious sticking point is the timing of sanctions relief, with Tehran insisting on immediate relief from sanctions, freeing up its shelved billions and enabling it to get its oil onto world markets. Sooner, they insist, than later.

As a nation guided by strictly honourable intentions, one in which the stridency of the Republican Guard Corps, the belligerent violence of its Lebanese-based Hezbollah militia, and the ongoing work on further-reaching and more powerful ballistic missiles, it makes eminently good sense to the Ayatollahs that sanctions be lifted as a signal from those with whom negotiations are being held; the Security Council plus Germany, of goodwill and trust.

 Mr. Amano's trip was meant to provide an opportunity for him to meet with Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, an official with oversight of the military.
The IAEA's final assessment of Iran's cooperation, its nuclear history and the agency's concluding report assessing the possible military dimensions of Iran's intentions as gleaned from past activities will influence the final outcome of the negotiations.

But without full verification and later access to ongoing monitoring to assess Iran's implementation of any deal reached with the U.S., France, Britain, China, Russia and Germany, no final solution to the impasse is feasible. If Tehran continues to refuse permission to the IAEA to re-visit the closed-to-access Parchin military complex given investigators convincing claim of credible evidence nuclear-related experiments took place there in the past, any final deal is questionable.

Tehran promised to step up cooperation in 2013, and the IAEA reminded Iran it had only partially addressed two of 12 sets of issues the agency had raised about Tehran’s nuclear activities in a 2011 report. Mr. Amano has called on Iran often enough that it is incumbent on the authorities to increase their cooperation with the IAEA, convince the agency that what they claim in total innocence of intent to gain nuclear weapons expresses fact, not fantasy.

Western diplomats declared in April that among other issues, Iran would be given a list of Iranian scientists, sites and documents that the IAEA should have access to, to enable the agency to fully comprehend and verify the scope and intention behind Iran’s past work on the nuclear file. People close to the talks have said in recent days that Iran hadn’t yet accepted that list.

Well, what an amazing surprise, disappointment and utter let-down...!