Vali Nasr:

Well, I think, at one level, the purpose of maximum pressure is not clear.

So there are elements in the administration who would want either regime change or for Iran to completely capitulate. And then the president in Tokyo said Iran can prosper under the existing regime, and what I really want is to talk to Iran.

So I think the United States would do well if it had a clear strategy, and it would signal it properly. But I agree with Reuel that Iran is in a tight spot. They don't have an option of going to war with the United States. That would be the end of the Islamic Republic. They cannot suffer under these sanctions as is.

And they ultimately may have to come to the table, but it's going a very delicate dance of how they get themselves to the table. And we saw some of this with Kim Jong-un on and North Korea, that beating their chests, being threatening essentially might be a sort of way to come to the table.

And we shouldn't forget that the prime minister of Japan didn't go to Iran without at least having some indication that the Iranians would like to hear proposals from the United States. And it's quite possible that he's carrying back at least certain conditionalities and proposals from Iran.

So the public messaging between the two sides may — as Reuel says, may be providing a sort of an umbrella or a cover for some kind of an engagement that might be forthcoming.