Path to negotiations still open as shaky ceasefire holdspublished at 11:09 BST
Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent
Image source, Getty Images
The door to diplomacy has not been shut, even though the US Vice-President JD Vance boarded a plane saying he had made the US’s “final and best” offer.
Since then, President Trump has said the meetings “went well”, even that some points were agreed. And although the atmosphere is not the defining issue, it makes a difference in diplomacy.
We’re hearing now from people who were in the room that discussions which began with maximalist demands became productive, even, as Trump put it, “friendly”.
Now that Tehran’s political taboo of meeting face-to-face at this high level has been broken, it opens a path to a more serious negotiating track.
But there are big bright red lines on both sides, especially on Iran’s nuclear programme.
On that issue and others, including the Strait of Hormuz, neither side will move easily, quickly, or at all – that’s the task of talks.
For now, the shaky ceasefire is holding, just. Even though both sides may want to avoid a military escalation, we have seen all too often the real risk of an accidental tumbling into confrontation.
