The duration of the ban on uranium enrichment was the main obstacle to reaching an agreement during the peace talks between the US and Iran held in Islamabad. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
The publications, citing U.S. officials close to the talks, said Washington sought a 20-year moratorium on enrichment in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions against Tehran.
The NYT newspaper added that the Iranian negotiating team offered a reciprocal five-year deadline.
Neither U.S. nor Iranian officials confirmed the reports or commented on them.
On April 13, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Vice President J. Didi Vance,told him that the removal of all Iranian uranium enriched to 60 per cent is a key issue for Trump.
Netanyahu added that Trump also wants to guarantee “that there will be no further enrichment of uranium in Iran in the coming years – even a decade.”
Talks between US and Iranian representatives in Islamabad on 11 April ended in failure as the sides failed to reach an agreement on several key issues. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a major obstacle.
Iranian officials have signalled that they may be open to upcoming talks, but blamed the Americans for the breakdown of the talks.