Erstellt am: 29. 11. 2014 - 08:00 Uhr

The Ever Extending Deadline

A Reality Check Special on the Iran nuclear talks.

We have lost count of the number of times Reality Check has included reports and analysis of talks on Iran's controversial nuclear programme. There have been many rounds of negotiations over the years, and often the reports from one session to the next sound very similar. That's why on Monday there was a moderate sense of excitement, or at least curiosity, because 24th November was the deadline for the current series of talks.

EPA/Roland Schlager

We had been told by various experts about the sense of urgency - especially for US President Barack Obama, who only has two years left in office, and for President Hassan Rouhani of Iran - a moderate who has to measure his pragmatism against conservative hardliners in Tehran. And we had heard several times over the past 12 months that progress was being made. And – of course it was all happening “on our doorstep”, at the Palais Coburg in Vienna’s first district.

EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh

So - would we finally see a breakthrough after so many years of tensions and sanctions? Disappointingly, for those of us hoping for a big news story, no.

The deadline was extended yet again, this time for 7 months to 1st July 2015. Does this mean they (ie Iran, the US, Russia, China, France, the UK and Germany) have failed? Well, not yet, according to analysts, who take the view that they've come so far they HAVE to reach deal.

That's why we decided to dedicate this Saturday's Reality Check to understanding some of the deeper issues and the wider potential outcomes and consequences of the Iran nuclear talks.

The Ever Extending Deadline: The Iran nuclear talks

You can hear the programme at 12 noon on Saturday and after that via the Reality Check podcast or at fm4.ORF.at/7tage.