As the July 20 deadline for the interim nuclear deal looms and negotiators meet for the sixth and final round of talks, nuclear negotiators from the United States and Iran have each taken a tough stance in front of their domestic audiences. In interviews and op-eds, the negotiators have painted a pessimistic but realistic picture of a final deal between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1).

“The final agreement will have a time frame, and this is something that has been referenced in Geneva,” Iranian nuclear negotiator and Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian Students’ News Agency. “This time frame is one of the issues being negotiated.”

Araghchi said, “If we accept limitations for confidence building, it will be for a specific time frame and temporary.” He added, “None of our commitments are for eternity and they will not be permanent. Therefore, I emphasize and insist that our people not pay attention to the assumptions, which do not make clear with what intentions they are stated, especially those that come from foreign sources.”

In regard to the Arak heavy water reactor, a point of contention, Araghchi said, “What we recommended and what we still recommend is to preserve the nature of Arak, but with technical changes. With up-to-date technology, the concerns about having access to building a bomb can be eliminated or extremely lowered.”