UK security adviser attended US-Iran talks and judged deal was within reach

Britain's national security adviser Jonathan Powell attended the final US-Iran talks in Geneva and judged that Iran's nuclear proposal was significant enough to avert war. Despite progress and a scheduled follow-up round in Vienna, the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran two days after the talks ended. Powell's involvement helps explain the UK government's reluctance to support the US attack, as Britain saw no compelling evidence of an imminent Iranian threat.