Make Iran dismantle its nuclear and missile programs. Then its top negotiator started softening his tone, and had to retreat.

Iran said it won’t be drawn into negotiations with the US over its ability to enrich uranium and warned that fledgling nuclear talks with Washington may fall apart if the Trump administration “moves the goalposts.

"The Iranians are, I think, a little bit more desperate than they were in 2022, and they are faced with a very weak economy," one analyst told CNBC.