Triumph of diplomacy

Calling Sunday's agreement between Iran and the P5+1 "an important step forward", US President Barack Obama emphasized that "now is the time to give diplomacy a chance to succeed". Yet he credited "unprecedented sanctions and tough diplomacy" for the development.

Harsh US sanctions, the main cause of Iran's current economic woes, indeed compelled Teheran to make concessions at the negotiating table. But the Geneva talks would not have reached where they are were it not for the shared willingness to give diplomacy a chance.

The Sunday deal is, in US Secretary of State John Kerry's words, a "critical, significant step". By agreeing on how to implement the first phase of the agreement reached on Nov 24, the negotiators indicated that the fragile diplomatic process to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue remains on track. It inspires optimism about a longer-term deal in the near future, too.