The story: Submitting the Iranian foreign ministry’s final quarterly report to parliament on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) under his watch, Iran’s chief diplomat has declared that a “framework” for reviving the accord has almost been reached with the US. Mohammad Javad Zarif has also asserted that Washington has agreed to remove most of its sanctions, expressing hopes that the ongoing diplomatic talks will come to fruition under President-elect Ebrahim Raisi, who is set to take office in early August.

The report: Iran’s foreign ministry on July 12 submitted a 262-page quarterly report on the implementation of the JCPOA to the parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission...