The mirrors game in the US/Iran nuke talks

The first talks between the US and Iran on Tehran's nuke programme since Donald Trump became president were described as being constructive but in terms of presentation and form they were another bizarre example of how previously broken-down relationships begin slowly to merge once agaiun. The talks were indirect which meant one US negotiator, Steve Witkoff, the ever-faithful deal-broker Trump envoy, and the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, sat in separate rooms in a building in Oman and used an Oman mediator to switch from one room to the other carrying messages. This formula has been used many times over the years in all kinds of past diplomatic disputes but it still seems bizarre. Does even "Good morning, how are you?" have to go back and forth before the real issues begin? Anyway, the fact that Iran and US are talking at all on the nukes subject is at least positive. But the other bizarre aspect of this particular diplomatic impasse is that the Supreme Leader in Iran, the present one and the former one, never actually admitted to ever wanting to build a nuclear weapon. Indeed, they consistently said it was against the Muslim faith to consider going down that path. So what is all the fuss about? Basically, no one in Washington has ever believed them. And for good reason, because the Iranian atomic scientists are pushing ahead with developing more and more highly-enriched uranium with the clear goal of being in a position to produce weapons-grade material if the ayatollahs suddenly decide to go for it and have a bomb. Meanwhile, it's all smoke and mirrors and sitting in adjoining rooms.