Negotiators in Doha have reached a comfortable stalemate regarding Tehran's nuclear program and the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Both delegations expressed optimism that the catastrophic strangulation of international maritime trade could be deferred to a working group next quarter.
DOHA — The air conditioning in the Ritz-Carlton ballroom hummed at a glacial 16 degrees Celsius, preserving a spread of untouched pistachio baklava and condensation-beaded Evian bottles. Across the mahogany table, U.S. Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk and Iranian diplomats concluded their fifth hour of staring at a topographical map of the entirely impassable Strait of Hormuz.
The diplomatic hurdle remains straightforward. Washington would like the 20 percent of the world's oil supply currently trapped in the Persian Gulf to eventually leave, while Tehran prefers to maintain its uranium centrifuges at 60 percent enrichment and keep the shipping lane heavily seeded with anti-ship mines. European observers noted the tone of the morning session was remarkably cordial, given the total paralysis of the global supply chain.
We are extremely close to a consensus on the font size of the draft agenda, which is a vital prerequisite to discussing the potential thermonuclear annihilation of the hemisphere.
The delegations are scheduled to return to their respective capitals on Tuesday evening. Travel arrangements have been slightly delayed, as diplomatic flights must currently route 3,000 miles around the airspace they spent the morning discussing.