Last week, this column described US President Donald Trump’s offer of dialogue with Iran as “genuine” and a “potential offramp, even if a risky one, for both Washington and Tehran.”
It’s time for Iran to take up Trump’s offer. Although Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says there is “no possibility” of dialogue with the Trump administration, he might reconsider. For the Trump administration, this is how high-stakes diplomacy is done, and is as good as it gets, for at least the next two years, maybe six. The pain of US sanctions on Iran will only get worse. And the moment for diplomacy might pass. Trump’s patience may be tested, and the slight cracks that we see in the US approach to Iran could close as quickly as they have been revealed.
Trump tweeted on Wednesday he's sure “Iran will want to talk soon,” amid signs he is irritated with the hawkish posture of national security adviser John Bolton. “As recently as last week,” CNN reports, “Trump was calling outside advisers to complain about Bolton, people familiar with the conversations said.” Trump told acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan during a White House briefing on Iran that he does not want war, according to the New York Times.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took Trump’s charge to emphasize that the United States is not looking for war and is open to diplomacy. A sudden visit to Europe on May 13 nonetheless fell flat, as Laura Rozen reports.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
