The United States and Iran are due to hold their second round of nuclear talks on Saturday, as what both sides are looking for in a deal begins to take shape.

Make Iran dismantle its nuclear and missile programs. Then its top negotiator started softening his tone, and had to retreat.

"The Iranians are, I think, a little bit more desperate than they were in 2022, and they are faced with a very weak economy," one analyst told CNBC.