Aaron David Miller

The subtext here is, look what you got me into.

You persuaded me that at a minimum,

The conditions for regime change would be laid as a consequence of what I've done.

Trump has to be beside himself with frustration and hot anger.

We could be on the cusp of a serious escalation, largely because I think both sides still believe that they have the power to escalate.

Both sides believe that time is still on their side and that the pain threshold of the other is lower.

It was.

I think to have a successful negotiation, Dave, you really need three elements, three keys.

You need two parties who are willing and able and are prepared to use diplomacy, not to browbeat or to issue demands for each side, but to actually create some sort of balance of interest.

Number two, you need a shared sense of urgency.

Let's say the Iranian clock and the American clock need to be in sync.

Both need to feel a certain amount of pain on one hand and

through negotiations could realize a certain amount of gain on the other.

And finally, you need an end product, right?

Some agreement, some deal, text.

I think it was the great Hollywood mogul who said that an oral agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on.

So you need these three things.

And frankly, you didn't have them and run up to Islamabad and you don't have them now.

Yes, and I guess no.

You know, the U.S.-Iranian negotiations are really quite unique, idiosyncratic in this regard.