Nuclear talks with Iran go better than expected

Washington Post : Two days of negotiations between Iran and six other nationsâmdash;the UK, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the USâmdash;did not resolve anything, but both sides are optimistic about continuing the talks. Originally scheduled for just a single day, negotiations spread to a second day because the negotiators felt some progress was being made. Being the first talks in eight months between Iran and the group of nations known as the P5-plus-1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany), even the agreement to schedule more talks is considered significant progress. Among the notable talking points were the requests for Iran to cease production of weapons-grade enriched uranium and to allow inspections of specific nuclear technology work sites. Although those two subjects are normally nonstarters for Iranian negotiators, the US paired the requests with the possibility of immediate easing or lifting of certain sanctions. However, both sides agreed that there is still a very long way to go before any substantive progress is made.