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A security guard walks along a closed road near the Serena Hotel in Islamabad on April 21, 2026, ahead of anticipated U.S.-Iran peace talks. Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images
The current negotiations between the United States and Iran are being misread as a chaotic exercise in brinkmanship. They are not. They are the predictable endgame of a contest in which leverage has shifted decisively, and in which one side is now negotiating under constraints it can no longer escape.
Bryan Brulotte is chairman of Sterling-Trust, a private equity firm based in Ottawa. He holds a doctorate in business and brings more than four decades of experience spanning military service and senior roles in the private and public sectors. He was appointed vice chair of the NATO Association of Canada in June 2026.
