According to media reports, the US and Iran have each presented peace plans with 15 and 10 points, respectively. The US focus is on Iran's enriched uranium and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz; Iran's focus is on control over the strait and tariffs for ships that want to pass through it.
Full-scale war again
Aron Lund, Middle East analyst at the Swedish National Defense Research Institute, describes it as both countries making "maximalist demands", with Iranian demands that American forces leave the region, and American demands that Iran give up its nuclear program and stop supporting the Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah.
"The initial positions are difficult to reconcile on several points, but I still believe that there is a possibility of reaching agreements on certain issues, or of putting the disagreement on the table for later talks," Lund says.
He further says that it is possible that the talks will lead to the US and Iran entering into a longer-term ceasefire.
"Failure to reach a full agreement does not automatically mean ending up in full-scale war again," Lund says.
Must give in
The most pressing issues will likely be the war between Israel and Hezbollah and the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, he estimates.
"On the latter issue, both sides need to give each other something, I think. It is difficult for Iran to make the tariffs work as long as there are American sanctions against Iran. Large Western companies will not pay money to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard," Lund says.
"The nuclear technology issue is also urgent in its own way, but it is not something that must be solved tomorrow," Lund says.
