US and Iran Inch Toward Talks, but Each Side Demands a Win

Even as the strikes paused, the diplomacy behind the confrontation between Iran and Israel remained difficult. The New York Times reports that Washington and Tehran would each need to defend any agreement as a victory for their own side, and that both President Donald Trump and Iran's leadership take approaches to negotiation that mediators have found hard to manage.

Trump said that within two weeks he expected to declare a complete victory and that Iran was prepared to give up nuclear weapons, adding that he did not expect Israel to resume its war with Iran. Vice President JD Vance said a long-term nuclear settlement was achievable.

That confidence is not universally shared. The South China Morning Post examines skepticism about Trump's claim to have reprimanded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the recent escalation. It notes that Netanyahu's apparent defiance has raised doubts in the region about how much control Washington actually exercises over its closest ally.

The parties agree on one point, that no side can achieve a decisive military victory. That assessment appears in Israeli commentary, which describes Iran's willingness to end the current round of fighting as leverage for a broader agreement on principles with Washington. For oil markets, the benefit would be the gradual restoration of Persian Gulf exports that a durable deal would allow.