WASHINGTON — Even though the Iranian and US presidents did not meet or share a phone call during the UN General Assembly meetings in New York last month, the French say that important progress has been made on a substantive framework for possible talks, and it is largely a matter of sequencing — and overcoming mistrust — to see if the parties can get to the table.
“The conditions to start those discussions were there,” a French diplomat, speaking not for attribution, told Al-Monitor. “One key issue is sequencing though, and there is probably a problem of trust.”
