LINK TO ARTICLES from CARNEGIE

Navigating the Iran Sanctions Thicket

The prospect of sanctions relief as part of an Iran nuclear agreement has alarmed some in Congress, but they should see the value of a UN Security Council resolution affirming the deal, says CFR’s John B. Bellinger III.

Putting Iran’s Nuclear Program in Context by Micah Zenko

Iran Nuclear Deal Will Never Be Good; The Question Is If It Will Be Good Enough by Richard Haas

Background & Analysis (CFR)

CFR Meeting Lindsey Graham on Iran’s Nuclear Program

Around the Web: RFE/RL Unpacking the Iran Sanctions

Op-Ed: Ray Takeyh The Strategic Genius of Iran’s Supreme Leader

The New York Times’ Michael R. Gordon and David E. Sanger: “With a deadline just hours away, negotiators from the United States, Iran and five other nations appeared on Tuesday to move closer to a preliminary political accord to limit Tehran’s nuclear program, but there were signs that several of the most difficult issues would be deferred for a final agreement in three months.”

The Wall Street Journal’s Jay Solomon and Laurence Norman: “U.S. and European officials said nuclear negotiations were imperiled by deep uncertainty over whether Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would sign off on the necessary concessions for a deal.”

The Independent’s Kim Sengupta: “Both Israel and Saudi Arabia have repeatedly claimed that Tehran is intent on acquiring a nuclear arsenal, regardless of whatever pledges it makes, and that its hand will merely be strengthened by the lifting of economic sanctions as part of an agreement.”

The Washington Post’s Scott Clement and Peyton M. Craighill: “By a nearly 2 to 1 margin, Americans support the notion of striking a deal with Iran that restricts the nation’s nuclear program in exchange for loosening sanctions.… But the survey — released hours before Tuesday’s negotiating deadline — also finds few Americans are hopeful that such an agreement will be effective.”

The New York Times’ David D. Kirkpatrick: “As America talks to Iran, Saudi Arabia is lashing out against it. The kingdom, Iran’s chief regional rival, is leading airstrikes against an Iranian-backed faction in Yemen; backing a blitz in Idlib, Syria, by jihadists fighting the Iranian-backed Assad regime; and warning Washington not to allow the Iranian-backed militia to capture too much of Iraq during the fight to roll back the Islamic State.”

The Washington Post’s Carol Morello: “In a strong indication that an agreement may be imminent, Russian Foreign Sergei Lavrov announced in Moscow that he was flying back to Lausanne to take part in the last hours of talks.”