Iran leader celebrates nuke deal prematurely

Iran’s president appeared to post and then quickly delete a message celebrating a deal over the country’s nuclear ambitions, in an apparent slip-up that could signal a deal is close at hand.

“#IranDeal is the victory of diplomacy & mutual respect over the outdated paradigm of exclusion & coercion,” President Hassan Rouhani said in a quickly deleted tweet on Monday, which was captured by multiple reporters. “And this is a good beginning.”  

The post was deleted within minutes.

The message seems likely to presage a formal announcement that a deal has been reached, after long hours of negotiations in Vienna that have repeatedly slipped by initial deadlines.

Iranian negotiators are meeting with officials from the U.S. and five other countries to limit Iran’s ability to create a nuclear weapon, in exchange for rolling back crippling sanctions on the country’s economy.

A breakthrough appeared to have been made over the weekend, and watchers expect a deal could be announced as soon as Monday.