US Vice President JD Vance said that Iran's public denial of peace talks is a deliberate “Persian negotiating tactic,” while confirming that technical talks between Washington and Tehran are underway.
Vance described Tehran's position on Tuesday as “fascinating and frustrating,” saying Iranian officials deny peace negotiations while acknowledging technical discussions linked to a possible deal.
The bazaar is not just a marketplaceTo understand how Iran negotiates, one must start from the bazaar.
What Vance witnessed, Tehran denying talks while simultaneously describing them in detail, is textbook taarof.
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US Vice President JD Vance said that Iran's public denial of peace talks is a deliberate “Persian negotiating tactic,” while confirming that technical talks between Washington and Tehran are underway.
Vance described Tehran's position on Tuesday as “fascinating and frustrating,” saying Iranian officials deny peace negotiations while acknowledging technical discussions linked to a possible deal. He said the approach reflected a rhetorical style he did not understand.
His remarks highlight the mistrust and communication gaps that continue to shape US-Iran diplomacy as both sides navigate efforts to end the conflict and define the terms of any future agreement.
The bazaar is not just a marketplace
To understand how Iran negotiates, one must start from the bazaar. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, one of the country's most seasoned diplomats, was open about this in his 2025 political memoir, The Power of Negotiation, writing that "the Iranian negotiation style is generally known in the world as the 'bazaar style,' which means continuous and tireless bargaining."
In the traditional Persian bazaar, the first price is never final. Maximalist opening demands, protracted attritional bargaining, and the strategic manipulation of time are not ad hoc tactics, they are standard operating procedure.
The goal is not to reach a deal quickly. The goal is to reach the best possible deal, even if that takes years.
Taarof: the art of saying no while meaning maybe
In Iranian culture, taarof is a complex etiquette of offering and refusing that can confuse outsiders. Diplomatically, it often appears as exaggerated civility: an Iranian official may initially decline an offer several times or couch demands in elaborate flattery.
What Vance witnessed, Tehran denying talks while simultaneously describing them in detail, is textbook taarof. Iranian officials often tailor public statements for domestic audiences, meaning their rhetoric does not always reflect their actual position or intentions in negotiations with foreign counterparts.
Iran cannot appear to yield to the Americans even as they both engage in diplomacy mostly through mediators from Pakistan or Qatar.
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