Vance Key in Organizing US-Iran Negotiations, Reports Say

Middle Eastern outlets stress that the Islamabad talks failed because the US and Iran could not bridge gaps on sanctions relief, security guarantees and the scope of a cease-fire. They describe regional powers such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey as trying to shape terms that protect their own security and economic interests while avoiding a wider war. Many expect any renewed Islamabad round to be fragile unless Washington offers clearer sanctions relief and Israel accepts limits on its military actions.

• •Iranian officials insist that firm and early sanctions relief must be part of any cease-fire deal.
• •Regional coverage links the failure in Islamabad to disagreements over how far Israel must scale back its strikes.
• •Saudi and Iranian leaders are coordinating by phone on how to salvage talks without appearing to concede too much.
• •Turkey’s foreign minister has discussed an Iran cease-fire with US and Pakistani officials to avoid spillover into Turkish territory and trade routes.
• •Commentators in the region warn that without credible security guarantees, Iran’s leadership will resist deeper nuclear limits.