The delay has also exposed tension between Washington and Tehran over the conflict in Lebanon. Iran has linked progress in the talks to a halt in fighting there, while accusing the United States of bearing direct responsibility for the situation in Lebanon and for Israeli military operations.
The nuclear issue remains highly complex. Experts have warned that a 60-day framework may be too short to reach a lasting agreement with Iran, given the technical and political difficulties involved. The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers took around two years to negotiate before it was finalised.
Baghaei denied reports that Iran had invited the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the country’s nuclear facilities. He said negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme would take place within the 60-day framework if the preliminary conditions were implemented.
Under the framework, Iran would maintain its nuclear programme at its current level and allow IAEA inspections only at certain sites, such as the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Access to other sites, previously denied after US and Israeli attacks, would depend on the progress and outcome of future negotiations.
Energy markets remain exposed to the uncertainty. Crude oil prices are still around 30% higher than at the start of the year, while restoring normal oil and LNG shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could take at least several months.
The United States and several other countries have also drawn heavily on emergency oil reserves to stabilise prices during the conflict. As those countries later buy oil to refill reserves, additional demand could add further pressure to global oil prices.
For now, the delay leaves the United States and Iran searching for a new opening, while the wider crisis continues to connect nuclear diplomacy, Lebanon’s security situation and global energy supply.