India, May 3 -- The second round of talks between Iran and the US have remained stillborn. The Iranian Foreign Minister left Islamabad on 25 April and the US negotiating team did not even leave the US. The situation remains frozen, though the ceasefire remains in place but Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz while the US in retaliation has established a naval blockade in the Gulf. Both are wrong as they interfere with control of the so-called global commons. President Donald Trump remains averse to negotiating and the bulk of his communications are threats in in the form of social media posts. However, publicly insulting the other party is not the best way to go into talks.

The US demands are focused on the three pillars of ...