An Iran nuclear deal remained elusive Tuesday after two days of talks in Oman between Secretary of State John Kerry, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Negotiators have only 13 days to meet a self-imposed Nov. 24 deadline for reaching agreement, with the U.S. midterm election results potentially raising new obstacles on the path of compromise. Despite Tehran’s routinely dismissing President Barack Obama’s argument that sanctions pressure has forced Iran to the negotiating table, the timetable for and extent of sanctions relief has emerged as a key sticking point in the talks, according to Iranian officials and others who follow the negotiations closely. Iran seeks the early removal of U.N. Security Council penalties that undergird the harsh economic punishment imposed by much of the world against the Islamic Republic since 2006. The five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany (the P5+1) […]