VIENNA — The clouds of Vienna resemble the status of the talks taking place under its sky. For a moment it’s almost going to rain, and then the sun shines as it should on a normal midsummer day. Still, only a few negotiators are getting outside the closed doors at Palais Coburg, where Iran and six world powers are having what should be their last round of talks.

Everyone is waiting for a Vatican-like "puff of white smoke" that might bring 3½ decades of tension between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran to a happy ending.

Yet, there are many reasons to believe that this might only be another midsummer dream that might fall apart if there is no real political will for serious sacrifices on both sides. A deal today might be very possible given the circumstances surrounding the talks, while a failure might see the bridges of confidence that have been under construction fall apart, making it nearly impossible for the two sides to come together anytime in the near future.

In a negotiating room overseeing Theodor Hertzl Platz in the heart of Vienna, US and Iranian delegates sit facing each other; sometimes they are joined by others from France, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia and China. It’s rare to hear a word from the Chinese, except when it comes to calling for more effort for a better solution; the Russians have been relatively inactive, and along with China are silent observers. The UK is aligned with the US, while France sometimes plays the role of troublemaker. However, this time around, France has been relatively quiet; it’s now Germany that seems to have its own special view on what is taking place. It has tended to play a role whenever there are serious dilemmas, but are we in the middle of a dilemma?