US-Iran talks miss 60-day deadline as tensions persist

Both Iran and the US have dug in their heels, hoping the other will blink first. Pic/Istock

The deal that US President Donald Trump signed at Versailles in June set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear programme. The deadline was Monday, and the two sides are further apart than they were then.

Talks, such as they are, have focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting a US blockade on Iran, both of which were supposed to have happened under the interim deal. There has been no sign of any compromise on the strait, or that detailed nuclear talks have even begun.

The US, meanwhile, has no good options for getting out of the war it started alongside Israel. Acceding to Iran's latest demands would be tantamount to admitting defeat.

Both sides have dug in, hoping the other will blink first. Rising prices of fuel and other goods are expected to climb further the longer this continues with effects far beyond the Middle East.

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