Thread by @yarbatman

1. So here is something most reports on the Friday July 6 #JCPOA Joint Commission meeting missed. #Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif made an unplanned trip back to Tehran the night before the foreign ministers' meeting on the nuclear deal.

2. Zarif was already in Vienna in the days leading up to the #JCPOA meeting as part of President Rouhani's official visit to Austria. Rouhani returned to Tehran on July 4 and the idea was that Zarif would stay on until Friday.

3. But just a few hours after Rouhani's departure, Zarif also rushed back to Tehran. This is easy to confirm if you check the flight history:
◢ Rouhani (EP-IGA)- 4 July, Dep 11:05 PM, Arr 5:17 AM
◢ Zarif (EP-IGD)- 5 July, Dep 2:28 AM, Arr 8:44 AM

4. Rouhani called a meeting in Tehran to discuss #Europe's economic "package" to save the nuclear deal. Iran's government needed to figure out how to ensure that strong political commitments were not overshadowed by a lack of specificity on economic measures.

5. That evening, Rouhani called both Macron + Merkel to discuss Europe's commitment to the #JCPOA. The public readout of these calls saw Rouhani engage in some expectation management + demonstrate his ability to insist for more action at the highest levels
president.ir/fa/105219

6. That same evening, Zarif headed back to Vienna, landing late at night:
◢ Zarif (EP-IGD)- 05 July, Dep 8:17 PM, Arr 10:12 PM

7. The following day, a productive Joint Commission meeting was held, the outcomes of which I detail here:
bourseandbazaar.com/articles/2018/…

8. It is a small thing, but an episode like this shows that the Iranians are really making every effort to save what they consider to be an important agreement. Rouhani and Zarif could have literally "phoned it in" ahead of the Friday meeting. They are seeking to do the utmost.