Analyst: Iran-US talks keep failing over trust and sequencing

An Al Jazeera opinion piece argues that US-Iran negotiations during the current war have repeatedly failed because each side demands the other move first. The June 18 Islamabad memorandum collapsed within days after Tehran suspended talks over the absence of a Lebanon ceasefire, and by late September the dispute centred on sequencing, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and freezing enrichment. With no durable settlement and Israel's role a persistent sticking point, the diplomatic channel that might contain the conflict remains fragile, leaving the risk of wider regional war open.