[caption id="attachment_151150" align="alignright" width="203"] U.S. President Barack Obama is flanked by Vice President Joe Biden (L), Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd R) and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (R) as he delivers a statement on legislation sent to Congress to authorize the use of military force against the Islamic State. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst.[/caption]
The US administration assesses that the odds of reaching an Iran nuclear deal have increased in recent days, after apparently significant progress made in recent talks, experts briefed by the administration say.
“It is clear that an agreement is within reach, [that] many of the differences have been resolved,” Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, told Al-Monitor February 13.

“If we get a deal that is close to the terms the administration has set out, and I believe we will, it is going to be a very good deal,” Cirincione said. “One that will surprise and please even many of the critics.”

Progress was made at talks between US and Iran negotiators held in Munich last weekend (February 6—8), experts briefed by the administration deduced. The uptick in administration optimism about a deal suggests that there has been progress, possibly a breakthrough, on the enrichment capacity issue, among other factors.

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This article was written by Laura Rozen for Al-Monitor on February 15, 2015. Laura Rozen reports on foreign policy from Washington, DC, for Al-Monitor's Back Channel. She has written for Yahoo! News, Politico and Foreign Policy. On Twitter: @LRozen