France, Feb. 27 -- Washington is demanding curbs on Iran's missile programme, its network of regional proxies, and above all its nuclear capabilities - a demand that carries a particular historical irony, given that it was the United States itself that launched Iran's nuclear ambitions in 1953 under Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace initiative.

The talks, brokered by Oman, follow repeated threats from Donald Trump to strike Iran militarily. The US president gave Tehran a 15-day deadline to reach a deal last Thursday.

The two sides, however, remain some distance apart on scope. Iran has insisted the discussions be confined to its nuclear programme, while Washington wants Tehran's missile arsenal and its financial and operational support for m...