The joke is on us

If the joke wasn't at our expense, it might even be funny. All the participants in the nuclear talks between the West and Iran want a deal. But, you know, because it's awful, they aren't quite sure how to sell it to the public.

The nuclear negotiations between Iran and the world powers, now in their 13th year including a break in the middle, deteriorated on Thursday into a post-farcical stage. After three extensions, we have now reached a fourth. What a shame there are no penalty kicks in this story, which would finally put the reporters in Vienna, along with the delegations, out of their misery. Alas, no one is interested in euthanizing these talks.

In fact, quite the opposite is true: They want a deal at all costs. But the Iranians are enjoying making life difficult for the rest of the world. The American press has reached the point of concerning itself with the junk food Western delegates are eating. We are more worried about a nuclear Iran. Either way, these talks are becoming dangerous.

We've mentioned on multiple occasions already that the ball is in the Iranians' court. On Thursday we received further indication of this. While Western representatives were speaking about significant progress, and the Russians were saying there was a chance a deal could be struck within hours, and the pundits were telling us the Americans wanted a deal done before Congress disperses for its summer recess (Friday morning in Vienna), along came the Iranians, telling anyone who would listen that it was likely the talks would be extended for three more days, until July 13.

And who was right? Indeed, the Iranians are dictating these negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif divulged that he has no qualms over extending his stay in Vienna for as long as necessary. We can only hope that he eventually starts getting homesick.

It's evident that throughout this process the Iranians have refined the Persian bazaar approach to negotiating. Normally it's the seller who bends to meet the customer, lowering the price. In this case, however, the seller has already received almost the full asking price. The only thing he needs to do now is dig his heels in a little longer -- heaven forbid he budge in the slightest -- and go back home with the absolute maximum return. The Iranians say they want to reduce to a minimum the "military dimension of the nuclear program." What saints they are.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday said the talks wouldn't go on forever, but explained that you don't get up and walk away just because the clock strikes midnight.

A wise man once said that "an important aspect of any negotiation is knowing when to walk away." The Iranians, one gets the impression, are convinced that Kerry is unfamiliar with this phrase.

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