Irans President Says a Nuclear Deal With the West Is Certain
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took to the nation's airwaves on Monday night to proclaim that a nuclear deal with the West will be signed ahead of a deadline in late November. "We will find a solution to the nuclear subject and we believe that the two sides will certainly reach a win-win agreement," said Rouhani, according to Iranian broadcaster Press TV. Representatives from the U.S. E.U. and Iran are set to meet up in Vienna later this week to attempt to hammer out the details of the agreement. Diplomats issued the new Nov. 24 deadline after failing to meet an earlier target in July. On Monday night, Rouhani struck a confident tone as he discussed the agreement, saying only the finer details of the deal need to be ironed out. "Of course details are important too, but what's important is that the nuclear issue is irreversible. I think a final settlement can be achieved in these remaining 40 days," said Rouhani, according to a translation by Reuters. The potential deal aims to guarantee that Iran's nuclear program remains strictly for peaceful purposes. Iran has been hit with myriad sanctions by Western nations for moving ahead with a nuclear program that Tehran claims is engineered to meet the country's scientific and energy needs. However, the U.S. and Israel have long argued that the Islamic Republic's leadership has been attempting to develop a clandestine nuclear arsenal. President Rouhani was swept into power 14 months ago after campaigning on a more moderate platform and signaling that he aimed to ease the animosity that's been brewing between Washington and Tehran for decades. The potential nuclear deal is also seen as pivotal to staving off an all-out future war between Israel and Iran.