Well, damn.

Well, damn.

Iran has denied its participation in the second round of talks in Islamabad, which was initially planned for today and then moved to Monday.

This was reported by Iran's state news agency IRNA.

"The excessive demands of the United States, unreasonable and unrealistic claims, constant shifts in positions, ongoing contradictions, and the continuation of the so-called "maritime blockade," which we view as a violation of the ceasefire agreement, together with threatening rhetoric, are obstructing progress in the negotiations, and under such conditions there is no clear prospect for productive talks," the statement says.

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What is there to say...

You see, the paradox is that the terms of the deal that the United States and Iran discussed with each other in the first round (if, of course, Axios is to be believed, and we have no reason not to believe them) are, overall, adequate for the United States in the situation Trump has driven it into, if the United States wants to declare victory and get out of this war with the least possible losses.

At this stage, the United States will not get anything more from Iran than a temporary moratorium on the development of nuclear weapons and the partial removal or blending of enriched uranium. And in exchange for that, the United States will have to give something up: partially unfreeze assets and/or lift sanctions.

But I have the feeling Trump is being told, like, just a bit more, any moment now and they will crumble. Because if Trump seriously believes (as he wrote on Truth) that Iran will hand over the uranium just like that, then... good luck to him, what else is there to say.

The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, I repeat, is the right move if you want to force Iran into capitulation. But in that case we are faced with one unknown: how much economic resilience does Iran have in reserve?

If it is two or three weeks, then yes, the United States can afford to do some bombing, do some blockading. Including bombing energy infrastructure.

But what if this does not have a decisive effect on a state that has, for decades, already been living mostly in poverty? What if Iran has set itself the goal of holding out no matter what, for example until the congressional elections?

Let's hope the Trump administration has not miscalculated again here...