Four reasons talking to Iran is a good idea

"Amid the historic first rounds of talks between the Islamic Republic and the United States," writes the Ploughshares-funded National Iranian American Council in its blog, "there have been a number of small, but significant developments that would not have happened otherwise."  They name the release of a Canadian journalist from prison and the access granted to detained American hikers; the condemnation by the U.S. of terrorism against Iran; delaying sanctions, which forestalls war; and above all, the prospects for a nuclear deal.