Bad cop, bad cop

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned last month that his country would not permit international inspections of its military sites. This was quite a "promising" statement, ahead of the deadline for a final nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers.

But Khamenei, we have been told by believers in an agreement, is a man of the past, the "bad cop." The future, they say, belongs to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the "good cop" -- more open, more liberal and more promising.

And yet, it was Rouhani who declared on Saturday that Iran would not grant international inspectors access to its military sites. He also said Iran had achieved a great victory by retaining the ability to enrich uranium.

So Rouhani is the "good cop"? Instead, it appears we have a new game -- Khamenei and Rouhani: Spot the Difference.

In recent days, there were discouraging signs for supporters of the emerging agreement -- signs which could actually be viewed as encouraging by the rest of us. Russian media outlets reported that the talks between Iran and world powers were stuck and that the deadline for a final deal might be postponed again. Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov acknowledged that the talks had slowed significantly.

Presumably, the Iranians want to squeeze more out of the world powers before agreeing to a deal. And it looks as if the Americans do not want to spoil the party. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, broken leg and all, will travel to Europe later this month to try to get a deal done by the June 30 deadline. We wish Kerry a speedy recovery from his leg injury, but perhaps his bike accident was an omen of a bad deal.

In another indicator of potential difficulties ahead for U.S. President Barack Obama, Congress rejected on Friday a White House-backed trade bill. It was in fact liberal members of the Democratic Party who thwarted Obama's wishes. They told him unequivocally, "No."

This was a reminder that Congress could torpedo a bad deal with Iran, not just because of Republican opposition, but also due to the fact Obama has also lost his charm among Democrats. Given his lame duck status, the remainder of Obama's term in the White House will not be an easy time for him.

But Obama believes a deal with Iran could put him back up on his feet. As does Kerry.

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