Sanctions and War Fail to Force Iran Into Accepting Just Any Deal
Two women and a child holding an Iranian flag walk toward the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque to attend Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 20, 2026. 
The final, agreed-upon text of the Iran-US peace deal has been reached, and Pakistan is now working with both sides to finalize the next steps, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted.The process is «very much contingent upon the developments that will occur in the near future,» Joseph P. Helou, assistant professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University, tells Sputnik.Given the history of these negotiations, it is difficult to put a concrete timeline on the deal’s ultimate conclusion»Maximum pressure in addition to a war hasn’t made Iran willing to negotiate just any deal» — it has remained resilient and capable of negotiating an agreement that serves its national interests»That’s one of the reasons why this negotiation process is taking much more time than expected»Meanwhile, the US administration needs a resolution to the Strait of Hormuz crisis to bring down oil prices for American consumers and keep inflation under control ahead of the November midterm elections.
AnalysisIs Iran–US Deal Close to Being Signed or Not?15:51 GMT
