‘US navy leverage a dangerous tactic’: Bombs, navy escalation won’t deliver Iran ‘to the desk’

Genie Godula is happy to welcome Jim Townsend, Adjunct Senior Fellow within the CNAS Transatlantic Safety Program and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Protection (DASD) for European and NATO Coverage. In line with Townsend, US–Iran negotiations are formed by tactical manoeuvering: a pre-negotiation ritual by which each side place themselves strategically by public posturing and calculated obstruction. In the end, significant progress will rely on mediation, incremental trust-building, and the extension of fragile ceasefires.