New Delhi, June 19 -- The US-Iran memorandum of understanding, signed at Versailles during the G7 summit, represents a significant retreat from Washington's opening position. A clause-by-clause comparison with the 2025 pre-war document reveals how comprehensively America's negotiating floor gave way under pressure.

The venue alone carried weight. The memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran was formalised at Versailles, a palace whose name has, for more than a century, been synonymous with national humiliation. It was French President Emmanuel Macron who reportedly suggested the location, and Donald Trump who agreed to sign there.

The treaty that remade Europe after the First World War was built on 14 points. The U...