April 2, 2015 | Quote

Iranians Tweet Up a Storm Over Nuclear Talks

The nuclear talks in Lausanne, Switzerland, have been a hit on social media in Iran.

Iranians young and old are anxiously watching the talks grind on with unprecedented intensity, according to Iran observers and hundreds of thousands of social media posts from the Islamic republic.

As talks approached and then passed a Tuesday deadline to reach a framework agreement on Iran's disputed nuclear program, social media posts have spiked. The talks between Iran and the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany would restrict Iran's nuclear program to ensure it remains as peaceful as Iran claims in return for lifting economic sanctions.

People are so excited about a potential deal there may be street celebrations after the announcement, which he said would be “a public relations disaster” for the regime, said Ali Alfoneh, an Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

“One of the greatest concerns of the regime is in case a deal is reached there will actually be street parties in Tehran and other cities,” Alfoneh said. “They have claimed the Iranian public is anti-American and supportive of the nuclear program, but actual display of street happiness would show that people care more about their standard of living than about the nuclear program.” 

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Issues:

Iran