Trump snaps back to diplomacy, but Iran has other ideas

President Trump is turning back to diplomacy in the Middle East, seeking a new deal with Iran that his administration failed to secure through waves of military strikes.

But the negotiations, which the president claimed would resume Monday, got off to a rocky start, with Iran denying any resumption in talks with the U.S., while pursuing a bilateral deal with Oman over Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes.

Diplomatic efforts have failed before, leading to a recurring pattern of U.S. threatening massive kinetic action before it is called off, a scenario that has played out at least five times since April.

Gregory Brew, an Iran expert with Eurasia Group, said the U.S. is both part and “outside” the Oman-Iran talks, as Tehran doesn’t recognize any kind of U.S. role in managing the waterway, yet any reopening depends on Washington ending its naval blockade.

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