Obama Desperately Seeks to Revive Abortive Negotiations With Iran

As reported by The New York Times in an article entitled "With Nuclear Talks Sputtering, U.S. and Iran Plan Meeting" (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/world/middleeast/with-nuclear-talks-sputtering-us-and-iran-plan-meeting.html) by Michael R. Gordon, the Obama administration is seeking to revive stalled negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program:

"Senior American officials plan to meet in Geneva on Monday and Tuesday with an Iranian delegation in an attempt to advance the stalled nuclear talks, the State Department announced on Saturday.

. . . .

There are mounting signs that diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear program is running into trouble. The point of the interim accord negotiated last year, one of the Obama administration’s most important diplomatic achievements during its second term, was to buy time so that a more comprehensive agreement to rein in Iran’s nuclear program might be reached.

But the recent round of formal negotiations between six world powers and Iran in Vienna, aimed at producing a comprehensive agreement, made scant progress. Each side accused the other of being intransigent."

Iran and the P5+1 have reached an impasse in attempts to achieve a long-term agreement to restrict Iran's nuclear weapons development program by July 20. Outstanding issues include International Atomic Energy Agency access to the Parchin military complex, Iranian enrichment capacity and ongoing development by Iran of ballistic missiles.

After the Bowe Bergdahl release blew up in his face, Obama has become increasingly desperate for a foreign policy success. Unfortunately, Iran is aware of this pressure on America's president. Additionally, Iran also knows that the P5+1 coalition is in tatters following Putin's adventure in the Ukraine and resultant tensions with the US.

In addition, Khamenei has watched Obama do absolutely nothing following delay of implementation of the deal for the destruction of Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons arsenal, and in the aftermath of Assad's use of chlorine gas against rebel-occupied territory in Syria (see: http://www.timesofisrael.com/assad-hiding-chemical-arms-in-remote-mountainside-activist-charges/).

How much is Obama willing to concede to Khamenei in order to sign any agreement, or at least a 6-month extension, before July 20, thereby avoiding confrontation with Iran? Stay tuned. It's not going to be pretty.