Conversation with colleague Edmund Fitton Brown of the Foundation for Defense of Democracy,

former ambassador to Yemen, former UN official looking at the whole of the Middle East wars.

Are there talks with Iran by the United States? Yes is the answer. Yes. Will they tell us what the bottom line is? No. They tell us no. Therefore, everything in between is speculation, but Edmund Fitton Brown's speculation is informed. Much more of this tonight.

Absolutely, John. I mean, it's not that the headlines intend to mislead. It is, of course, that both the United States side and the Iranian side have a vested interest in hiding their bottom line. So, you know, I think there are negotiations going on. I believe they involve Mohamed Bargad Kalabaf, who is the current Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, previous mayor of Tehran,

previous candidate for president of Iran, somebody with a very strong IRGC background.

He's a hardliner, but of course, hardliners also have to think about what the way forward is.

And if the Iranians don't think they're winning,

or if they don't think that the US or Israel are ready to walk away and leave Iran with the

opportunity to claim victory just by virtue of survival, well, then they will be interested

in whether there is some kind of compromise.

There were talks, as you know, before the conflict broke out. The two sides from the U.S.

side and the Iranian side were light years apart. It is possible, of course, that the Iranians,

because of the blows they've sustained over the last month have moved to be willing to consider compromises

that they would not consider a month ago.