For the past two weeks, I have been bombarded by questions from colleagues and "experts" from across the globe wondering how to assess the current round of talks between Tehran and the Trump administration in Washington.
The typical question is: what is going on?
Judging by comments and leaks from the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff -- although problems remain -- things are going smoothly. Trump himself keeps saying that he expects "a good agreement" without spelling out what that means.
Tehran pundits muse about an historic turnaround that would see the US investing over a trillion dollars in Iran while the regime is given the green light to continue merrily enriching the uranium it does not need. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian goes further by talking about "rebuilding the whole region in peace and with prosperity for all."
The fact, however, is that so far nothing has happened. The two sides have not fielded their full teams and seem unable to establish a clear agenda for talks. Nor are they in agreement about how long the talks should last. Trump says he had given the "Supreme Guide" in Tehran two months to make a deal or else, a time span to coincide with the president's first 100 days in office, which has already come and gone.
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