Disagreements over US prisoners hinder progress in Iran nuclear talks

Efforts to reach an interim nuclear deal between Iran and the United States have hit a roadblock as factions within the Iranian ruling establishment disagree over US demands on prisoner releases. Progress had been made on key issues, including Iran's promise not to attack US forces in Syria and Iraq, but the US now insists that further progress cannot be made unless an agreement is reached on the issue of US-Iranian dual national prisoners. While President Ebrahim Raisi is prepared to release a fourth prisoner as part of the deal, dissenting voices within influential institutions, primarily the Republican Guard, argue that the prisoner's fate should be discussed separately. The JCPOA 2015 nuclear agreement, which aimed to restrict Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, was abandoned by the US in 2018, and negotiations to revive the deal have been unsuccessful so far.