The United States proposed that Iran accept a 20-year moratorium on uranium enrichment during negotiations held in Islamabad over the weekend, according to a U.S. official and a separate source with knowledge of the talks, as reported by Axios.
Iran rejected the proposal, countering with a significantly shorter freeze of a 'single digit' number of years, the sources said. The two sides were unable to reach a deal, with the gap over enrichment timelines emerging as the central obstacle to an agreement.
Key sticking points
Beyond the duration of any enrichment pause, the talks were also complicated by disagreements over Iran's existing stockpile of enriched uranium, according to the sources. Washington has pressed for Tehran to surrender that material as part of any deal, a demand Iran has so far resisted.
The question of whether Iran will agree to halt enrichment entirely - and under what conditions - has long been the most contentious issue in negotiations over the country's nuclear program. Iran maintains that enrichment is a sovereign right and a cornerstone of its civilian nuclear industry, while the United States and its allies argue that Tehran's enrichment levels go well beyond civilian needs and pose a proliferation risk.
Broader context
The Islamabad meeting represents the latest in a series of diplomatic efforts to revive constraints on Iran's nuclear activities following the 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the multilateral agreement that had capped Iran's enrichment capacity in exchange for sanctions relief.
Since that withdrawal, Iran has steadily expanded its nuclear program, enriching uranium to levels as high as 60 percent - well above the 3.67 percent ceiling set by the 2015 deal and closer to the roughly 90 percent threshold required for weapons-grade material. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have reported limited access to Iranian facilities in recent years.
No further details about the Islamabad meeting or a timeline for future negotiations have been publicly confirmed by either government.
