The US and Iran Should Turn This Pause Into Peace

Even as the US and Iran flirt with a return to negotiations, each appears convinced it can dish out more pain — and absorb more — than its opponent. They’d both be wiser to accept the compromises needed to bring their six-week conflict to a close.

Exactly what derailed marathon peace talks in Islamabad last weekend — and whether they were truly “inches away” from a successful conclusion, as Iran’s foreign minister has claimed — remains murky. Reports suggest the main sticking points involved whether Iran would suspend nuclear enrichment for as long as 20 years and surrender its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium. What, if any, progress was made toward restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, or limiting Iran’s missile arsenal and support for terrorist groups, is uncertain.