Talks between the US and Iran: a thaw?
After two rounds of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme, Washington and Tehran have said they want to continue the talks. The negotiations were progressing well, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced after his meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff at the Omani embassy in Rome on Saturday. The Arab state is acting as a mediator. Commentators take stock.
Total capitulation not achievable
The nuclear talks seem likely to end in a compromise, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung opines:
“The fact that little is known about what exactly is on the negotiating table suggests that the talks are being conducted in a professional and goal-oriented way. One almost wants to pinch oneself and ask: Is this really the Trump administration at work? ... Apparently, the new administration can't come up with any better options than those which Trump swept off the table during his first term: a compromise that would improve Iran's economic situation and secure assurances for the West that Iran will not build - or be able to build - a nuclear bomb for the time being. Because the total capitulation that Trump always demanded will not be achievable - even with Iran's leadership weakened by Israel's strikes.”
Washington needs a diplomatic coup
Trump needs positive signals from Iran, news.bg comments:
“In view of the renewed war in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing war in Ukraine, the US president needs to set a positive example for his diplomacy. After all, he has stated that the success of his foreign policy will also be measured by his ability to prevent new hostilities and stop the US from becoming embroiled in new conflicts. Iran is the ultimate test for Trump's promise of peace, because while the war in Gaza depends on Israel and the war in Ukraine on Russia, whether there will be a new war in the Middle East depends primarily on him.”