In April 2026, U.S.-Iran peace talks in Islamabad, led by Vice President JD Vance, failed to make significant progress toward a peace deal. Despite President Trump’s optimism about reaching a permanent agreement, experts from the Obama administration, who previously negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal, doubt a quick resolution due to mutual mistrust and differing negotiation styles. Wendy Sherman, a key negotiator of the 2015 deal, emphasized that successful negotiations with Iran require time and patience, as demonstrated by the 18-month process that led to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Rob Malley, another former negotiator, highlighted the contrasting approaches of the U.S. and Iran, with Trump being impulsive and Iran’s leadership being stubborn. The 2015 deal, achieved through patient diplomacy by Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, serves as a reminder of the complexities involved in such negotiations.
QUESTION: How might the differing negotiation styles of countries impact the success of international agreements?
What’s it like to negotiate with Iran? We asked people who have done it
