A photo provided by the office of the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shows him waving during a ceremony held for the 36th anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini's death, in Tehran, on June 4, 2025. (Credit: Khamenei.ir/AFP)
After nearly two months of cautious exchanges and five rounds of indirect negotiations under Omani mediation, the U.S. has presented Iran with its first formal written proposal. Despite statements from the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who described the text as "entirely contrary" to national interests, the dialogue remains open. With an ongoing war in Gaza, the threat of escalation with Israel and growing economic pressure, Tehran has every interest in staying at the negotiating table. In Washington, President Donald Trump accused Iran on Wednesday of "dragging its feet" by delaying its decision on the U.S. proposal. However, what distinguishes this sequence from previous ones is the gradual abandonment of entrenched positions. Both sides are no longer merely asserting their red lines; they are now...
After nearly two months of cautious exchanges and five rounds of indirect negotiations under Omani mediation, the U.S. has presented Iran with its first formal written proposal. Despite statements from the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who described the text as "entirely contrary" to national interests, the dialogue remains open. With an ongoing war in Gaza, the threat of escalation with Israel and growing economic pressure, Tehran has every interest in staying at the negotiating table. In Washington, President Donald Trump accused Iran on Wednesday of "dragging its feet" by delaying its decision on the U.S. proposal. However, what distinguishes this sequence from previous ones is the gradual abandonment of entrenched positions. Both sides are no longer merely asserting their red lines; they are now...