Iran and Western powers closed in on an interim accord Friday that would provide for a six-month relaxation of tensions and, they hope, pave the way for a longer-term deal to restrict Iran’s nuclear program. A deal would provide concrete steps for how to implement the Nov. 24 agreement, which requires Iran to curtail its nuclear activities in exchange for the easing of some of the West’s longtime sanctions against the country. If the interim deal is implemented, the two sides have given themselves 12 months to reach a broader, more comprehensive agreement that would represent a historic rapprochement between Iran and the West. But leaders of both sides say they hope to reach that deal sooner, within six months of the interim accord. U.S. and European officials hope that the implementation agreement will be finalized by the end of the month, marking the first formal warming of relations […]