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A Challenge in the U.S.-Iran Talks: Both Sides Demand Victory

Washington and Tehran would need to defend any potential deal as a win for their side. And each has a leader whose approach to talks is vexing mediators.

© Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times

A rally in Tehran on Monday after Iran and Israel exchanged fire.

Trump Wants to Call the Shots. But in Iran, He Keeps Hitting His Limits.

8 June 2026 at 22:49
President Trump is grappling with his own version of the sort of Middle East crisis that beset his predecessors, and that he promised to avoid.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

President Trump insists that he has not violated his campaign pledge to avoid “endless wars,” even though a conflict he called “a little excursion” in March has entered its fourth month.

Are U.S. and Israel on the Same Page in Mideast Wars?

8 June 2026 at 17:38
President Trump has voiced his frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, but it is not clear how able he is to rein in Israeli military action.

© Pool photo by Ronen Zvulun

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has found himself on the sidelines of talks to end the war in Iran.
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