White House Confident Final Iran Nuclear Deal is in Reach

The Obama administration’s effort to reach a final nuclear agreement with Iran is expected to slip past its deadline Tuesday, though U.S. officials expressed confidence a deal is within reach.

“At this point, I would anticipate the negotiations will extend past the deadline,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Monday.

But opponents worry sanctions won’t be easily snapped back. There’s some internal tension among the negotiating partners over reimposing economic penalties. Russia and China, who are veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council, are eager to do business with Tehran.

Even if Iran is found to violate the deal, it could be difficult to get all countries to agree to bring back sanctions.

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“There is an inherent asymmetry in the deal between an Iranian nuclear program that expands over time and Western economic leverage that diminishes over time,” Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation of Defense of Democracies, told The Hill.

“The problem is, it will be like a slow motion train wreck,” he added. “It won’t be obvious the train is crashing.”

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