There May Be a Silver Lining in US-Iran Talks

The headline takeaway after Vice President JD Vance's talks with Iran was that the two sides failed to strike a deal. And while that is true, a less pessimistic sentiment also is surfacing in coverage, even as tensions rise over the new US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz:

• The Washington Post reports that inside the room with Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, "progress was made on another front: establishing some measure of goodwill with officials of a country that has proved difficult to negotiate with or achieve mutual understanding with." As a result, the White House believes "that Iran may still come to accept their terms to end the deadly and costly war, some officials say."

• Axios notes that mediators from Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey continue to negotiate. "We are not in a complete deadlock," a regional source tells the outlet. "The door is not closed yet. Both sides are bargaining. It's a bazaar." In this context, Vance's decision to fly back to the US and President Trump's decision to deploy a blockade are seen as negotiating tactics to amp up pressure on Tehran.
• An Iranian official wrote on X that the talks in Islamabad should not be viewed as a failure but as laying the foundation for a deal. "If trust and will are strengthened, [we] can create a sustainable framework for the interests of all parties," wrote Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran's ambassador to Pakistan.
• Not that striking such a deal will be easy: A New York Times analysis finds that "what Vance's trip made clear is that both sides think they emerged as the victor of the first round: the United States by dropping so much ordnance on Iran, the Iranians by surviving. Neither seems in the mood for compromise."