UPDATE: May 11 (Source: Bloomberg) Iran dismissed claims that it plans to deliver missile launchers to Russia to support its war in Ukraine and called them “utterly ridiculous,” state-run IRIB News said, citing a statement from Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York. Reuters reported Friday that Iran was preparing to send launchers for short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, citing Western and regional officials. May 9 (Source: Reuters) Iran is…
Tehran, Iran – A fourth round of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States has concluded in the Omani capital, Muscat, with Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs describing them as “difficult but useful”. After about three hours of negotiations on Sunday, spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei described the talks as “difficult but useful talks to better understand each other’s positions and to find reasonable and realistic ways to address the differences”.…
A few weeks ago, in a public act at the White House, with Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, surprised, Donald Trump – the man whom the prime minister and his followers are convinced they have in their pocket – announced that the United States was opening direct, high-level talks with Iran. The gap between what the U.S. president is doing…
Trump’s reversal on Iran may be his most consequential
President Donald Trump’s instinct for disruption and tendency to shoot from the hip has caused chaos, opposition and abrupt reversals. But this week, Trump reminded us that sometimes his willingness to take risks and think outside the box can shake up tired old ways. In Saudi Arabia, he surprised everyone by meeting with Syria’s new leader (a former jihadist) and…
Trump’s Dilemma in Iran
In trying to rein in Iran’s nuclear program, the Trump administration faces a thorny dilemma. Part of it is of the president’s own making: In 2018, President Trump pulled out of the existing nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — after calling it the “worst deal ever.” In the intervening years, Iran has vastly expanded its nuclear…