Qatari mediators and senior Iranian officials held talks in Tehran on Friday, which have been described as having made progress. However, Rouzbeh Parsi, an Iran analyst at Lund University, told Al Jazeera that the chances of a deal are "still rather dim." Parsi attributes this to the US's temptation to win the war through further attacks or sanctions, and the perception that a negotiated compromise would be seen as a defeat by figures like Trump, whose goals have been inconsistent. He also noted the influence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IRGC as potential spoilers.