WASHINGTON -- A series of conflicting signals from Tehran and Washington has highlighted the fluid status of ongoing US-Iran negotiations. Following a weekend of heightened speculation, the prospects for a diplomatic framework remain under close scrutiny by global markets and regional allies.To break down the strategic calculations, political pressures, and maritime realities on the ground, RFE/RL spoke with former US Ambassador Christopher Henzel. A seasoned diplomat with decades of Middle East policy experience, Henzel previously served at the State Department's Iran desk, as director of the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, and led US missions as chief of mission to Yemen and in Saudi Arabia during the first Trump administration.RFE/RL: Let's dive straight into the diplomacy. Ambassador, you’ve spent years analyzing the inner workings of Iranian diplomacy, both at the State Department's Iran desk and on the ground in the region. We are hearing conflicting reports. To clear the air from your perspective: Do we actually have a deal on the table right now, or are we looking at a tentative, fragile framework that could fall apart tomorrow?Christopher Henzel: It's clear that there is not a finished, fully agreed agreement. In fact, both parties have said that, and we should keep in mind that over the last several months, we've had several points where it's been claimed that an agreement was close only for the negotiations to take a couple of steps backward again. It seems like over the weekend there was a lot of optimism about an agreement -- I think that was driven by one of President [Donald] Trump's social media posts -- but that's been walked back by both parties since then.I think the latest out of both sides is Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio saying that there was still some language to be worked out. The Iranian side made a statement earlier today saying that there is no agreement yet, confirming that -- so there's more to be done. It's hard for us on the outside to know exactly what's going on inside, but we can make some educated guesses about it.