"He's looking forward to resolving it all as soon as possible so he can get back to acting," his lawyer told the court.
This is a problem that can be resolved, given international commitment to resolving it, and honestly acknowledging the problems that both sides face.
And as the year draws to a close, there is little sign that Europe is getting nearer to resolving it in a decent manner.
Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff, said that it was too early to draw "big lessons" from the episode, but that it was clear the rapport Mr. Kerry had developed with Mr. Zarif was crucial to resolving it.
But African nations meeting over the weekend in Ethiopia appeared no closer to resolving it, and the Islamists themselves appeared to be tightening their grip of northern Mali, with reports of citizens being whipped and demonstrators repressed in the north.
Syria and Saudi Arabia had been trying to negotiate a solution to the tensions over the tribunal, and analysts said they would remain far more important to resolving it than would the United States.
