The Takeaway: Hopes dim for Iran deal before US midterms
Hamas, Islamic Jihad tensions escalate; Netanyahu-Liberman square off ahead of elections; Egypt expands green initiatives ahead of COP27; Qatar’s neighbors benefit from World Cup; Syria’s Christians hold service in Idlib.
The Iran deal isn’t doomed, but expectations are low that an agreement will be reached before the November midterms.
A senior European source told Ali Hashem this week a deal won’t happen before the elections, if at all. “Because of the last Iranian response, there can be no return to the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] before the midterms,” adding that the longer the wait, the more risk there is to close the deal.
The Europeans may be seeking to keep the pressure on Iran, while Washington may be more inclined to wait, especially with elections in both United States and Israel fast approaching.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Tuesday it’s too soon to know whether his government’s efforts to kill the deal paid off, reports Rina Bassist. But according to The Times of Israel, President Joe Biden told Lapid that an Iranian nuclear agreement is off the table at least for the foreseeable future.
