US-Iran Talks Stall as Both Sides Insist on Declaring Victory

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran are stalled over a basic difficulty. Each government needs to present any eventual agreement as a victory for its own side, The New York Times reported, and each is led by a figure whose approach to bargaining has frustrated the mediators trying to broker a settlement over Iran's nuclear program.

The gap between statements and results is wide. The Russian business outlet RBC, citing CNN, counted 37 occasions on which Trump has said a deal with Tehran was near since the start of the US and Israeli military operation against Iran. The repetition shows how often an agreement has been promised and how little has been concluded.

The structure of the problem is the main obstacle. A lasting agreement would require Iran to accept verifiable limits on its nuclear work and the United States to offer relief from sanctions, but each concession can be presented at home as a defeat. Both leaders have therefore stated maximum demands, which leaves mediators searching for language that lets each side claim success without the other appearing to have lost.

Israeli officials have added their own conditions. JD Vance, the US vice president, has said a long-term arrangement on the Iranian nuclear question is achievable, while Israeli leaders insist any deal must completely prevent an Iranian weapon. The competing demands for a clear victory, rather than the technical details, are what continue to slow the diplomacy.