When the sun rose on Lake Geneva this morning, major obstacles remained, such as disagreements over the monitoring of enrichment research and the pace of lifting sanctions. But the return of the Russian foreign minister to the talks raised hopes of what would not yet be a final deal but nonetheless an historic breakthrough. At the end of the day, can a deal stop Iran from getting the bomb? What knock-on effect can we expect?

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This photograph shows a Dassault Rafale aircraft parked on the tarmac of the French Air and Space Force Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur Airbase in Saint-Sauveur, France, on March 18, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)