US special envoy Kusher says conversations between US and different areas of Iran Government are more robust that it has ever been and not there yet on understanding; positive and active discussions and Trump will be patient

Back-channel and envoy-led contacts between Washington and Tehran have recurred across administrations and have historically followed a familiar sequence: optimistic characterisations of 'active discussions', a long gap between dialogue and any framework, and headline-driven chop in crude rather than a sustained repricing until something concrete is signed. The phrasing here, 'more robust than ever' paired with 'not there yet on understanding', is the standard negotiating posture, and remarks of this kind have tended to take the immediate tail risk premium out of WTI at the margin while leaving the structural supply picture unchanged. The actor track record matters: this envoy has previously been associated with transactional, deal-first diplomacy, and 'Trump will be patient' signals no near-term escalation trigger, which is the variable crude and the Gulf risk premium actually price. The distinction worth drawing is between talks that cap the geopolitical bid in energy and an actual sanctions or enrichment understanding, which is what would move Iranian barrels, freight and insurance costs, and the front of the oil curve durably. Follow-ons that have historically carried signal are confirmation from the Iranian side, any mention of enrichment or sanctions sequencing, and whether OPEC supply policy starts to anticipate returning volumes. As commentary rather than a decision, the read is directionally risk-positive, crude-negative, and thin on substance.