Lisa Daftari, Foreign Desk Editor-in-Chief at Sky News Australia, said Iran is highly skilled at diplomatic negotiations and unlikely to change its behavior [1].
Daftari's assessment highlights the difficulty of using traditional diplomatic pressure to alter the strategic goals of the Iranian government during ongoing regional conflicts.
Speaking with presenter Gabriella Power on Sky News Digital, Daftari said Iran is "very masterful at the negotiating table" [1]. She said the regime has remained resistant to the pressures applied by international actors to date [1].
Daftari addressed the foreign policy approaches of the U.S., referencing the strategies employed by former President Donald Trump. She said that while certain tactics might follow the rules of textbook foreign policy, such methods typically only function when dealing with rational actors [1].
"So it is a very difficult dance that he [Trump] is trying to play, and perhaps it would work because it is textbook foreign policy, but it works only with sane actors, rational actors," Daftari said [1].
The analysis suggests a fundamental disconnect between Western diplomatic expectations and the actual operational logic of the Iranian regime. Daftari's comments indicate that the regime's ability to navigate the negotiating table allows it to maintain its positions even while under significant external scrutiny [1].
“Iran is very masterful at the negotiating table.”
This perspective suggests that traditional 'maximum pressure' or textbook diplomatic strategies may be ineffective against the Iranian regime. By characterizing the regime as an irrational actor in the context of Western diplomacy, Daftari implies that the U.S. and its allies may need to shift their expectations or strategies if they hope to achieve a change in Iran's regional behavior.
