Author: Steven Erlanger
Published on: 09/11/2025 | 00:00:00

AI Summary:
Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium is either buried under rubble, as Iran claims, or has been spirited away to a safe place, as Israeli officials believe. The result is a dangerous stalemate — with no negotiations, no oversight and no clarity about Iran’s stock of nuclear material, many in the region fear another war with Israel is inevitable. Iran is more isolated from the West than it has been in decades. Arab regional powers like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have enhanced their influence over Washington and Mr. Trump. Syria had been a strategic ally of Iran’s under the Assad government that collapsed last year. Israelis recognize that Iran’s nuclear program has been degraded but not destroyed, partly because Mr. Trump stopped the June war sooner than Israel wanted. Arab officials are encouraging new nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, but with little optimism for now. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said American hostility to Iran is deep-seated. Iranian officials want to compromise and make a deal with Mr. Trump. They argue that Iran cannot even keep the lights on, and that further resistance plays into Israel’s hands. Others favor confrontation, believing it impossible to deal with Trump, who pulled out of 2015 nuclear deal and angered Iran yet again by bombing it to help Israel. Steven Erlanger is the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe and is based in Berlin. He has reported from over 120 countries, including Thailand, France, Israel, Germany and the former Soviet Union. A version of this article appears in print on Nov. 10, 2025.

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