World Insights: Iran, U.S. resume talks, but can trust be built?

MUSCAT, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran and the United States are set to hold a second round of talks on April 19, following what both sides described as a "constructive" first round in the Omani capital on Saturday.

The meeting, which lasted two and a half hours, marked a rare thaw in a long-frozen relationship fraught with sanctions, military brinkmanship and regional rivalries.

"CALM, VERY RESPECTFUL ATMOSPHERE"

The "indirect" talks, held between Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, focused on Iran's nuclear issue and sanctions relief, the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

In an address to reporters after the meeting, Araghchi said the meeting was "constructive and held in a calm and very respectful atmosphere."

"No inappropriate language was used and the two sides demonstrated their commitment to advancing the talks until the achievement of a mutually favorable agreement from an equal position," he said.

He revealed that a second round of negotiations is scheduled for next Saturday, likely not in Muscat, and that both sides had agreed to attempt to work on a general framework for an agreement during that session.

"We will try to enter the negotiations' agenda, which will of course have a timetable alongside it," Araghchi said, expressing hope that the upcoming talks could finalize a basis for starting "real talks."

In a statement, the White House also described the meeting as "positive and constructive" and "a step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome."

TALKS RESUME, BUT CAN TRUST BE REBUILT?

While the indirect nature of the dialogue reflects lingering distrust, the resumption of any engagement is significant. The April 19 talks may determine whether both sides can transform symbolic diplomacy into substantive negotiations.

The U.S. administration is now concerned with calming the Middle East region, particularly with eliminating the Houthis, cutting off Iranian support for them, and restoring security to trade routes in the Red Sea, said Kheir Diabat, a professor at the International Affairs Department at Qatar University.

Steven Wright, an associate professor of international relations at Qatar's Hamad Bin Khalifa University, believes the talks with Iran reflect a negotiation style of the current U.S. administration: applying maximum pressure, setting firm deadlines, and maintaining a credible threat of walking away.

He cautioned that such transactional approaches are ill-suited for the intricacies of international diplomacy, especially in a relationship fractured since 1979.

The U.S. killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020 further deepened the rift, and the ongoing conflict in Gaza has only heightened Iranian distrust of U.S. intentions, said Wright.

"The fundamental issue is one of trust, or more accurately, the complete absence of it," he said. ■