Iran is not holding firm because it rejects diplomacy. It is doing so because, from Tehran’s perspective, retreat would not resolve the crisis –it would simply strip the Islamic Republic of the very instruments it considers essential to endure it.

Iran has been using the swap mechanism in order to continue its oil trade in recent months.

At this point, the next period will be a process for the USA and certainly for Israel to stomach Iran as a nuclear and regional power.

As the “maximum pressure” campaign continues, the release of the Iranian assets does not seem to be possible in the near future.