The Curveball That Locks In Trump's Own Words: "There Will Never Be a Deal" With Iran

The latest peace deal proposed by Iran and submitted to Pakistani mediators - as of Friday reported to be in US hands (and soon after declared unsatisfactory by Trump) - reportedly does not include the nuclear issue. Tehran has been making it clear this is a non-starter. The Iranians want to negotiate an end to the war, contingent upon the US Navy lifting its blockade of Iranian ports - and only then can its enriched uranium be addressed in future negotiations.

Officially, the Trump administration is still sticking by its demand that Iran hand over all its enriched uranium, with President Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday reiterating that the US aims to get the 'nuclear dust' - though we don't know what this is. He likely simply means the remnants of enriched stockpiles presumably in large, strong steel cylinders - and buried underground beneath the rubble of bombed-out nuclear complexes.