Iran�s media were deeply split Tuesday on the merit of extending nuclear talks with the West, with conservative newspapers slamming the move as reformist outlets said progress had been made.
Vatan-e-Emrooz, a hardline broadsheet title, headlined its front page �Nothing� -- and beneath the fold had only empty white space.

�A year has passed since the Geneva accord. Nuclear negotiations for the removal of sanctions did not reach a result,� the newspaper said, announcing the seven-month extension in talks to its readers.

�This is to cover up that negotiations in fact failed because of America�s excessive demands,� a downbeat front-page editorial added.

Siasate-e Rooz, another hardline title, was similarly pessimistic.

�Americans, despite announcing in their media that they want a deal, in fact do not believe in reaching a nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran and have never taken any steps to achieve this result,� its front-page editorial said.

However, President Hassan Rouhani, who on Monday said a nuclear deal with the West would be done despite missing the deadline in Vienna, received support from more moderate titles.

�A major change took place in the past 15 months... the victory of realism, rationality and pragmatism,� the reformist Shargh newspaper said.

�These negotiations showed that neither is Iran �the axis of evil� that the Americans imagined and tried to make the world believe, and nor does America have unresolvable conflicts with Iran as many said,� it added.

Iran, considered the mouthpiece of Rouhani�s government, said: �The result of this exciting competition was a draw. It may not have satisfied spectators, but the teams taking part expressed satisfaction with the result.�

The overall tone was pessimistic, however, with most newspapers taking a sceptical view of the talks extension.

Javan, a newspaper with close links to Iran�s powerful Revolutionary Guards, headlined its front-page report: �Seven months of artificial respiration to nuclear diplomacy.�

By Al Arabiya

 

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