Michael Barbaro

I'm going to quote him.

I am pleased to report that the United States of America and the country of Iran have had very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.

Okay, that's an explicit claim of negotiation.

A few hours later, Iran's government issues a statement that says the precise opposite.

Quote, we deny what U.S.

President Donald Trump said regarding any negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Well, let's focus for a little bit on why the president seems so invested in a diplomatic off-ramp to this war.

Because despite striking 11,000 targets in Iran, the U.S.

has discovered not just the limits of its military force in Iran, but the blowback and how problematic it's become.

And just to summarize what we have established in previous episodes, the Iranian regime is badly diminished, but it's not collapsing.

Regime change is not in the offing at the moment.

The war has locked up the Strait of Hormuz and paralyzed the global energy industry.

Economic repercussions of this war have grown week by week.

And U.S.

allies are not answering Trump's call to get involved.

So Trump is looking for a diplomatic way to end all of those problems.

Well, David, with that in mind, help us understand what the U.S.

efforts to bring Iran to the negotiating table, as messy as they've been so far, what they actually look like.

Kind of technically speaking, what the U.S.

outreach has been.