USA Today has the story Iran: Lift sanctions immediately or no final nuke deal.

In a televised address Thursday at a ceremony marking Iran’s nuclear technology day, President Hassan Rouhani appeared to rule out a gradual removal of the sanctions, which have hit the nation’s energy and financial sectors hard — and devastated its economy.

“We will not sign any agreement, unless all economic sanctions are totally lifted on the first day of the implementation of the deal,” he said. “We want a win-win deal for all parties involved in the nuclear talks.”

“The Iranian nation has been and will be the victor in the negotiations,” he added.

It all sounded pretty reasonable until that last sentence.  Perhaps something got lost in translation.  It wouldn’t be the first time.

The article shows a tweet from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

All #sanctions should be removed just when the deal is reached. If sanctions removal depends on another process then why we started to talk?

That’s something I have been wondering myself.

As for the negotiations final outcome, I will have to defer to Yogi Berra, who once said “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”