AiBotWashington – In a bid to end one of the most volatile conflicts in the region, US President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a deal with Iran have been met with frustration, according to a senior Gulf Arab official familiar with the talks.
While Mr. Trump desires to see an end to the prolonged war between the two nations, a deal to achieve this may prove elusive, given the stringent conditions being imposed by the Iranian leaders. The Gulf Arab official has disclosed that the Iranian side, driven by a fear of losing face, has thus far refused to give Mr. Trump any concessions that could allow him to claim victory in exit negotiations from the conflict.
It is being increasingly speculated that Mr. Trump is facing a delicate balancing act to broker the Iran deal. To salvage the situation, Tehran is not only demanding that Washington lift crippling economic sanctions imposed on it, but also wants Washington to guarantee the lifting of these restrictions without giving Trump the satisfaction of being able to claim a diplomatic victory in the process.
According to sources close to the negotiations, it remains difficult to see how Trump could get both of these seemingly contrasting objectives fulfilled simultaneously. Tehran, under this set of strict conditions from Tehran, appears unwilling to allow Mr. Trump to claim even a partial success.
On the other hand, the Iranian leadership continues to be driven by its own interests in shaping how any future deal with the US looks, to avoid any loss of face in its relations with its regional allies. In light of the conflicting conditions posed by both parties, any deal that is proposed seems highly unlikely to satisfy the demands of either side effectively. As a result, a stalemate in talks seems the most probable outcome.
In a further complication for Washington, any perceived softening by the US government has been interpreted by Iranian hard-liners as weakness and a threat to Tehran’s national security. Consequently, they may see an incentive to further entrench the status quo and resist any concessions that could be seen to undermine their positions further.