Why U.S.-Iran Negotiations Failed

Key Takeaways

• •

  Trump uses aggressive leverage to force negotiations

  “In the case of President Trump, you know, you and I have talked before about his negotiating style. He likes to carry a big stick. He weighs it initially. He then uses it. And then, of course, he very quickly pivots to, you know, you can have peace if you'll just make the right deal. Everything is about the art of the deal, isn't it?”

• •

  Iran refuses to negotiate on regime survival

  “I think we would have to assume that they're non-negotiable or it's going to be anything about regime change or human rights within Iran. They're going to want to be absolutely sure that they can maintain control in Iran. The other three files—nuclear, missiles, and proxies—are different, but regime survival is hardline.”

• •

  Nuclear programs are Iran's most negotiable asset

  “The nuclear file, I think it's entirely possible that the Iranians will be willing to agree to most of what the United States is asking for on the nuclear file because, you know, this is the one area where it's obvious that the US will not be willing to compromise. So we might look to see whether they've actually moved towards the idea that they would have to accept an end to their nuclear program.”

• •

  Iran maintains total control over Lebanese sovereignty

  “The newly appointed Iranian ambassador in Lebanon, the Lebanese have withdrawn their agreement to his appointment, and he is to stay even though he's not being given credentials by the government of Lebanon. Now it's an extraordinary statement that Lebanon is not a sovereign country and that the sovereignty in Lebanon is possessed by the Iranians.”

• •

  NATO supports reopening the Strait of Hormuz

  “I think that we saw a very strong statement from Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, saying that the coalition would always come together and it would support the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. And in a way, the Iranians have helped us in this respect, because closing international waters is obviously against international law.”

Episode Description

After negotiations over the weekend between the United States and Iran ended without a breakthrough, the temporary cease-fire appears to be increasingly precarious. The New York Times journalists Ronen Bergman and Mark Mazzetti explain why Israel is one of the biggest questions looming over the truce. Guest: Ronen Bergman, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine based in Tel Aviv. Mark Mazzetti, an investigative reporter for The New York Times based in Washington. Background reading:  Here’s what to know about the cease-fire talks. Iran’s top negotiator said the talks were unsuccessful because Washington failed to win Tehran’s trust. Photo: Pool photo by Jacquelyn Martin For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.