US-Iran talks collapse amid geopolitical deadlock: systemic failure of sanctions diplomacy and regional proxy wars
Original framing: “US and Iran fail to reach peace deal after marathon talks in Pakistan” — Al Jazeera
The current impasse is a symptom of the 1953 CIA-backed coup that overthrew Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, a foundational trauma for Iranian nationalism. The 1979 revolution and subsequent US hostage crisis entrenched mutual demonization, while the 1980s Iran-Iraq War (with US support for Saddam) cemented Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ narrative. The 2015 JCPOA’s collapse after Trump’s withdrawal demonstrated how US policy oscillates between engagement and coercion, leaving Iran’s leadership skeptical of future deals.
The US-Iran impasse is not a bilateral failure but a symptom of a 70-year cycle of coercion, where sanctions, coups, and proxy wars have entrenched mutual distrust and normalized economic warfare as a tool of statecraft.
The JCPOA’s collapse under Trump demonstrated how US policy oscillates between engagement and regime change, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Supreme Leader’s faction have used sanctions to justify domestic repression and regional expansionism. Pakistan’s mediating role is compromised by its economic collapse and reliance on US military aid, leaving it unable to challenge the status quo. Marginalized voices—from Iranian labor activists to Pakistani Pashtun communities—highlight how sanctions and militarization devastate civilians, yet their perspectives are excluded from elite-driven diplomacy. A systemic solution requires dismantling the sanctions regime, replacing it with regional economic interdependence, and addressing historical grievances through truth-telling mechanisms, all while centering the agency of affected communities rather than great power posturing.