U.S., Iran Size Each Other Up at Vienna

Today’s the deadline for Iran’s leadership to embrace or reject the deal its negotiators endorsed in Vienna to ship uranium out of the country for enrichment into fuel-producing-and-not-weapons-grade material. Whether that happens or not, Laura Rozen reports an interesting Vienna backstory:

Diplomatic sources tell POLITICO that among the most interesting dynamics to emerge was increasing, direct US-Iranian contact being at the centerpiece of the talks, that brought diplomatic teams and technical specialists from Washington, Paris, Moscow and Tehran to Vienna.

Obviously getting a deal is most important. But diplomacy is also a tool to gather intelligence that can be useful down the road.