Peace talks between the United States and Iran stalled after disagreements over Tehran’s nuclear commitments, with the scope and duration of uranium enrichment curbs emerging as the key sticking point.
Washington proposed a 20-year freeze on Iran’s uranium enrichment in its proposal, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Tehran has proposed suspending uranium enrichment for up to five years — an offer the Trump administration rejected, insisting on 20 years, two senior Iranian officials and one US official told the New York Times.
However, Tehran said it could only agree to a five year sanction. This comes after US President Donald Trump’s repeated assertion that Tehran permanently end domestic enrichment amid concerns it could provide a pathway to nuclear weapons capability.
During one tense moment, raised voices were heard outside the negotiating room before Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir and foreign minister Ishaq Dar called for a tea break and moved the delegations back into separate rooms, a government source told Reuters. However, things changed within no time,” a Pakistani government source told Reuters. Another source involved in the talks said the sides came “very close” to an agreement and were “80% there” before hitting issues that could not be resolved on the spot. Negotiations at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel were conducted across two separate wings and a shared area: one for the US delegation, one for the Iranians, and a common space for trilateral meetings involving Pakistani mediators, according to the agency. However, things changed within no time,” a Pakistani government source said.
“There was a strong hope in the middle of the talks that there would be a breakthrough and the two sides would reach an agreement.
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