Iran's leadership is bracing for a potential return to the negotiating table with the Trump administration, but suspicion runs deep. The ghost haunting these talks is the 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump abandoned in 2018 after taking office.
That withdrawal upended years of diplomatic effort and left Iranian negotiators wary of any commitment made under a Trump presidency. The abrupt decision to tear up the agreement signaled to Tehran that American promises could evaporate with a change in administrations or a shift in presidential whims.
For Iranian officials weighing whether to engage in fresh negotiations, the precedent looms large. The deal represented a major concession on Iran's part after painstaking talks that stretched across multiple nations and diplomatic teams. Walking away from it without a replacement framework left Iran feeling abandoned and exposed.
The credibility gap now threatens any path forward. Iranian leaders question whether investing time and political capital in new discussions makes sense when the outcome could be reversed just as quickly. Trump's unpredictability and past willingness to scrap international agreements have cemented doubts about the durability of any deal struck during his tenure.
Both sides face a fundamental problem: Iran wants assurance that future administrations will honor commitments, while Trump has shown little interest in being bound by his predecessors' work. Bridging that gap requires rebuilding trust that will not easily be restored.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Iran learned the hard way that presidential promises aren't worth much when the next election cycle rolls around."
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