Trump's Controversial Policy

On Wednesday, Trump reportedly tapped anti-war Senator Rand Paul as a special emissary to talk to Iranian officials. But it is not clear how much mandate he has to negotiate, given the presence of hawks in the Trump administration and the White House, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton.

While Iran has let the "window towards diplomacy open", Trump's allies in the region as well as the people around him may "not like any kind of engagement or negotiations" to happen, Aslani pointed out.

"They have capitalised and invested a lot on Iranian isolation, rather than engagement. That is why it has become a little bit difficult for Trump to engage in any talks."

For Noorani, Trump's "disoriented" policy towards Iran, has left Tehran confused about Washington's real intentions, further muddling any prospect of rapprochement.

Since Iran's shift "from the policy of strategic patience to active resistance", the US has been indirectly more involved diplomatically with Iran, according to Younes Zangiabadi, co-founder of the Geneva-based Institute for Diplomacy and Peace.

"It is important to underline that Trump is personally pushing and following up on meetings between Iran and the allies of the US," he told Al Jazeera.

Behind the scene, France is also trying "to create the right environment" for the inclusion of the US in talks with Iran within the JCPOA framework, "at least as an observer for the initial steps", Zangiabadi said.

Now it is up to the French side, to convince Trump "to impose no more sanctions" and freeze some of the current banking and oil sanctions, if they want any form of negotiations to take place between Tehran and Washington, he said.

Freeze for freeze

Among the options being considered is the so-called "freeze-for-freeze" deal, in which the US will suspend the Iran sanctions, or parts of that, and in return, Iran will stop reducing its JCPOA commitments, or the pace of its nuclear activities.

As for the Iranians, it would be doubtful that they would bow down to Trump's "maximum pressure" and "bullying", despite the hardships ordinary citizens are facing under the current sanctions, Zangiabadi said.

That is because there is an "unusual consensus across the Iranian political spectrum that now is not the right time to negotiate with the US", he said.

Meanwhile, Fereshteh Sadeghi, a Tehran-based political analyst, acknowledged that "there is anger regarding the current economic situation" in the country. However it is less directed at Trump, than the Iranian establishment's "mismanagement and rampant corruption".

Yet, the dire economic situation and the public pressure have not had an effect on whether or not Iran wants to talk to the US, she said, adding that as long as the government is surviving, it will dictate when and how it wants to talk to Trump.

In the end, the fate of Iran and the entire region lays in the hands of the US president, Toossi argued. 

"The principal problem is Trump's disastrous Iran policy, which has needlessly and recklessly put the two countries on a collision course."