Talk, don’t fight

That US, Iran met is a good beginning, even minus an agreement. Israel-Lebanon talks can offer an off-ramp to both

Vance’s statement that US-Iran talks yielded no breakthrough, should not be a cause for quiet satisfaction anywhere in the world. It underscores a deeply unsettling reality: diplomacy, when most urgently needed, is still struggling to find traction.

The global economy, already bruised by the six-week Iran war, has barely begun to stabilise.

Oil prices, which briefly cooled to $95 after spiking close to $120, are poised to climb again. Ripple effects are unmistakable – fertilisers, polymers, and a wide range of downstream industries, remain under sustained pressure.

In such a fragile moment, the prospect of renewed hostilities, is not just undesirable; it is untenable.

Perhaps expectations of a swift resolution were misplaced from the outset. The scale of devastation inflicted during the conflict runs deep. Coordinated US-Israel strikes significantly weakened Iran’s political and military command structures, while also leaving civilian infra scarred.

Tehran’s retaliatory targeting of Gulf Arab states, meanwhile, marked a dangerous escalation, breaching long-standing red lines and intensifying mistrust. The animosity is real, layered, and far from easily resolved.

And yet, amid the bleakness, there is a sliver of cautious optimism. The very fact that both sides agreed to sit across the table marks a notable shift.

This was their first direct engagement in a decade, and the highest-level dialogue since the Iranian Revolution. Diplomacy often begins not with agreement, but with willingness – and that, at least, has re-emerged.

Still, the distance between positions remains vast. Iran seeks sweeping concessions: control over Strait of Hormuz, war reparations, and a region-wide ceasefire.

Washington, by contrast, remains singularly focused on curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and ensuring the reopening of Hormuz. Hovering over these demands is a profound deficit of trust. US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 continues to cast a long shadow, as does Iran’s subsequent acceleration of uranium enrichment.

Complicating matters further is Iran’s past use of diplomatic breathing room to expand its regional influence through groups like Hezbollah. Yet, abandoning dialogue now would be a grave miscalculation.

The economic toll alone demands restraint: US inflation has surged sharply, while Iran faces a collapsing currency and staggering food inflation.

What is urgently needed are off-ramps – pragmatic pathways to de-escalation.

A potential opening may lie in upcoming Lebanon-Israel talks, which could end up cutting out Hezbollah, and offer all sides a face-saving exit.

For now, the immediate priority is clear: extend the fragile ceasefire, resist the pull of escalation, and give diplomacy the time it, so desperately, requires.

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