Iran and the US are talking low-key


The US has reportedly been conducting secret talks with Iran to restrict the country’s nuclear program and free detained US citizens.

The talks, aimed at a “political ceasefire”, are a last-ditch attempt at nuclear diplomacy after formal negotiations collapsed last year.

If agreed, Iran will:

  • not enrich uranium beyond 60% purity (90% is weapons-grade)
  • not sell ballistic missiles to Russia, and
  • return to cooperation with the international nuclear watchdog.

In exchange, the US is basically promising not to ramp up pressure on Iran any further.

Intrigue’s take: This all effectively amounts to a nuclear pinky promise. So then what’s the big deal?

  1. The US and Iran are still talking, despite decades without formal ties, and after countless failed talks, and
  2. Iran’s rapid nuclear development could still be halted, after years of spooking its neighbours and the broader international community.

Also worth noting:

Latest Author Articles
The most intriguing US bases in the Indo-Pacific

Just as we smashed that ‘send’ button yesterday, London announced a new deal to cede sovereignty of the remote Chagos Islands to Mauritius after 13 rounds of negotiations. 

4 October, 2024
This week at the UN

Ever wondered what the diplomacy equivalent of Disneyland would be? Oh, okay. Well just in case you change your mind, the answer is the UN General Assembly.

27 September, 2024
US dockworkers set to strike from Tuesday

Spooky season is upon us. And there is nothing scarier than a potential trade bottleneck right at the start of the holiday period. 

26 September, 2024
Meet the EU’s next Commission

While exploding pagers have dominated the headlines, something else big has happened. We’re talking of course about EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiling her highly-anticipated commissioner line-up. 

19 September, 2024