US–Iran Negotiations Near Amid Disputes and Tension (Full Transcript)
[00:00:00] Speaker 1: On again, off again. If the US and Iran can't agree where to talk, or what about, are their imminent negotiations doomed to fail? Major details have been unclear up until the last minute. The US proposing talks in Istanbul about the nuclear issue, and Iran's proxies and ballistic missiles, but Iran saying something much smaller should occur in Oman, and saying they needed to just talk about nukes. With many thinking President Trump has a bit of an itchy trigger finger, and what he calls a huge armada off Iran's coasts. That was a pretty risky move by Iran. But Iran's not suddenly speaking from a position of strength, and indeed their missile programme, their proxy militia, are a shadow of what they were before last talks were held. That's thanks to Israel's 12-day war, and remember too that the Assad regime in Syria, a key ally, has also fallen. Perhaps the White House have concluded that they've done as much bombing damage as they can to Iran's nuclear programme, and negotiations are the best way forwards. And perhaps this flourish of trying to appear tough before talks is Iran's way of appealing to its internal hardliners, and perhaps make them ready for some concessions.
- The US and Iran have signaled different preferences for where talks should occur and what topics should be included.
- Military posturing and rhetoric are increasing the perceived risk around the negotiations.
- Iran’s regional leverage appears reduced due to recent setbacks to proxies and allies.
- The US may see negotiations as the next step after limited gains from strikes on Iran’s nuclear program.
- Iran’s tough messaging may be intended to manage domestic hardliners ahead of possible compromises.