Commentary: Who in Iran can make a deal with the US – and make it stick?

Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains the obvious first test. It is easy to observe and hard to fake, says international security professor Stefan Wolff.

People drive near a billboard depicting US President Donald Trump on a building in Tehran, Iran, Aug 31, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

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BIRMINGHAM, England: From the same podium where President Masoud Pezeshkian made Iran’s case to the United National General Assembly last week, United States President Donald Trump had – just a day earlier – mused about whether to strike a deal or “ annihilate the Islamic Republic ”.

The two countries later held talks for the first time in months. By Saturday (Sep 26), Trump said he had rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end their war within a week. But whether anyone in Tehran can agree to a deal, and then make it stick, is far from clear.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held Qatari-mediated talks with Trump envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Araghchi is now their point of contact, and it was he, not Pezeshkian, who set out Iran’s latest seven-day roadmap .

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