Make or Break Talks? Iran Looks to Sway Trump and Avoid US Strikes • FRANCE 24 English

Why It Matters

A de‑escalation could prevent regional conflict and preserve the fragile non‑proliferation regime, while internal unrest threatens Iran’s negotiating leverage.

Key Takeaways

• Iran offers compromise pathway via Omani mediation.
• Trump’s red lines include missile program, not always nuclear.
• European powers monitor talks after US withdrawal from JCPOA.
• Domestic protests intensify, Amnesty warns of executions.
• US envoy Steve Witkoff leads delicate negotiation push.

Pulse Analysis

The prospect of a U.S. air strike on Iran has resurfaced as President Donald Trump weighs the costs of further escalation. While Trump’s administration has repeatedly emphasized Iran’s missile program as a non‑negotiable red line, it has shown more flexibility on the nuclear front, especially if Tehran offers verifiable limits. Analysts argue that a calibrated compromise could keep the conflict from spilling over into the broader Middle East, protecting both American strategic interests and global energy markets.

Behind the headlines, Omani mediators are quietly shaping a diplomatic corridor that could satisfy Washington’s security concerns without demanding a full rollback of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Envoy Steve Witkoff, the senior U.S. negotiator, is tasked with extracting concessions that address missile restrictions while allowing limited enrichment. European signatories of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—France, Germany and the United Kingdom—are positioning themselves as guarantors of any new deal, hoping to restore the multilateral framework that Trump abandoned in 2018. Their involvement adds legitimacy and pressure for a durable agreement.

Complicating the calculus is Iran’s internal turmoil. Following the deadly New Year’s protests, Amnesty International has warned of imminent executions of detained demonstrators, some as young as seventeen. The human‑rights crisis fuels domestic dissent and could weaken Tehran’s bargaining power, as the regime balances external concessions with internal legitimacy. For policymakers, the intersection of diplomatic outreach, security red lines, and domestic unrest defines the next phase of U.S.–Iran relations, with regional stability hanging in the balance.

Original Description

What would it take for Donald Trump to call off air strikes against an Iran that’s told Omani mediators that it sees a pathway to compromise over its nuclear program? We’ll delve into where the veteran Tehran's team of veteran negotiators can entice US envoy Steve Witkoff whose red lines sometimes include the Islamic Republic’s missile program, sometimes less so. Neither side's drawing much attention to the actual situation inside Iran where after the thousands killed in New Year’s protests, fresh dissent’s erupted as Amnesty International warns of looming executions of tortured demonstrators, some as young as 17.Watching from the sidelines are France, Germany, the UK and the other signatories of the 2015 UN agreement that Trump ripped up in 2015. Where to put the accent? And still that question, what’s this showdown ultimately about?

#iran #trump #nuclear

🔔 Subscribe to France 24 now: https://f24.my/YTen

🔴 LIVE - Watch FRANCE 24 English 24/7 here: https://f24.my/YTliveEN

🌍 Read the latest International News and Top Stories: https://www.france24.com/en/

Like us on Facebook: https://f24.my/FBen

Follow us on X: https://f24.my/Xen

Bluesky: https://f24.my/BSen and Threads: https://f24.my/THen

Browse the news in pictures on Instagram: https://f24.my/IGen

Discover our TikTok videos: https://f24.my/TKen

Get the latest top stories on Telegram: https://f24.my/TGen