WASHINGTON – A flurry of diplomatic contacts and reports of major progress suggest that indirect talks between the U.S.
and Iran may be nearing an agreement. That’s despite efforts by U.S. officials to play down chances of an imminent deal that would bring Washington and Tehran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.
With the negotiations in Vienna on hiatus, the U.S. and Britain on Monday denied Iranian reports that any agreement was at hand with Iran for a swap of American and British prisoners.
Such an exchange could be a confidence-building measure to revive the nuclear deal. A U.S. return to the deal would be the biggest and most controversial foreign policy initiative in the early months of Joe Biden's presidency.