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Iran May Be Lowering Expectations for Next Round of Nuclear Talks
(Los Angeles Times) Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim - Iranian officials appear to be trying to sharply lower expectations for the round of international nuclear negotiations set to begin Thursday in Geneva. Iranian nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said he expects this week's session will focus on the broad outline of negotiations, and that he doesn't foresee the first concrete steps toward a deal for about three months. The prediction suggests a much slower timetable than Iranian officials described six weeks ago at the UN when Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke of concluding the entire deal within three or six months. The U.S. and its Western allies are not likely to be pleased by a long period of preliminary discussions, enabling Tehran to keep making progress toward a nuclear capability while talks drag on. Obama administration officials have insisted they are not about to grant substantial and immediate easing of sanctions. Iranian officials continue to talk about their "red lines," saying they won't agree to halt all uranium enrichment, ship their current stockpile of enriched uranium out of the country, or close down their existing nuclear facilities.