Washington piles on efforts to mute opposition to nuclear deal

As the June 30 deadline approaches, the Obama administration is going to extreme lengths to dampen opposition to the forthcoming nuclear deal with Iran, especially in the US Congress. Emissaries from Middle East governments, including Israel, were in Washington this week to try and get the signing delayed in order to resolve outstanding issues. They found US officials determined to meet the deadline notwithstanding. Tehran still rejects inspections of military sites suspected of testing nuclear blasts. And, according to a Pentagon disclosure, Iran had not only topped up its uranium stockpile amid negotiations, but was pressing ahead with research and development in fields consistent with military uses and working on nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.