US, Iran continue negotiations despite recent strikes

The US said it would hold “technical talks” with Iran despite the countries’ truce coming under huge pressure in recent days over their strikes against one another.

Besides their attacks, the two sides remain far apart on the negotiating table with each holding what appear to be irreconcilable demands: Iran wants to control traffic through the Strait of Hormuz; Washington wants Tehran to give up its missile and proxy efforts.

On one side, US President Donald Trump’s potential White House successors are presenting differing paths forward, while Iran’s leadership is trying to rebuild domestic and international support. “There may well be more talks,” the historian Kim Ghattas wrote in the Financial Times, “but there will also be more strikes.”