If and when a photograph is taken of US Vice President JD Vance standing next to Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Islamabad this weekend, it will make history. That moment would mark the highest-level face-to-face talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America since the 1979 Islamic Revolution shattered their strong strategic bond and cast a long shadow which still darkens relations to this day.
The two men may not smile. They may not even shake hands. It would not make this troubled relationship any more easy, any less hostile. But it would send a signal that both sides want to try to end a war sending shocks worldwide, avoid an even riskier escalation, and turn to diplomacy to do a deal.
There's zero chance though of President Trump's optimistic prediction of a peace deal within this shaky two-week ceasefire; its terms were contested and broken since the moment it was announced. Even until the eleventh hour, Iranians kept everyone guessing over whether they would still show up while Israel was insisting there would be no ceasefire in Lebanon.
If serious and sustained talks make a start, it would also mark the most significant push since Trump pulled out of the previous landmark nuclear deal in 2018, which he dismissed as the worst deal in history. Those talks, in endless rounds stretching over nearly 18 months, were the last high-level meetings between the US's Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Efforts since then, including during President Biden's term, made little headway. Diplomats consider the dispatch of more senior officials and the high stakes of failure for all sides as a potential opening for dialogue. However, the ongoing mistrust complicates the potential for meaningful progress. The differing negotiating styles of the US and Iranian delegations further exacerbate the challenge of reaching a consensus.
President Trump's team, comprising his special envoy and family members, faced criticism for being too close to Israeli interests, leading Iran to insist on higher-level representation at the talks. Now, as both sides navigate their intricate relations amid global tensions, the world watches to see if these historic talks can lay the groundwork for a more stable future.
The two men may not smile. They may not even shake hands. It would not make this troubled relationship any more easy, any less hostile. But it would send a signal that both sides want to try to end a war sending shocks worldwide, avoid an even riskier escalation, and turn to diplomacy to do a deal.
There's zero chance though of President Trump's optimistic prediction of a peace deal within this shaky two-week ceasefire; its terms were contested and broken since the moment it was announced. Even until the eleventh hour, Iranians kept everyone guessing over whether they would still show up while Israel was insisting there would be no ceasefire in Lebanon.
If serious and sustained talks make a start, it would also mark the most significant push since Trump pulled out of the previous landmark nuclear deal in 2018, which he dismissed as the worst deal in history. Those talks, in endless rounds stretching over nearly 18 months, were the last high-level meetings between the US's Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Efforts since then, including during President Biden's term, made little headway. Diplomats consider the dispatch of more senior officials and the high stakes of failure for all sides as a potential opening for dialogue. However, the ongoing mistrust complicates the potential for meaningful progress. The differing negotiating styles of the US and Iranian delegations further exacerbate the challenge of reaching a consensus.
President Trump's team, comprising his special envoy and family members, faced criticism for being too close to Israeli interests, leading Iran to insist on higher-level representation at the talks. Now, as both sides navigate their intricate relations amid global tensions, the world watches to see if these historic talks can lay the groundwork for a more stable future.
