Iran offers 5 year enrichment freeze as US pushes for 20 in Islamabad talks — report

The United States has pressed Iran for a 20-year suspension of uranium enrichment during peace talks held in Islamabad, Pakistan, over the weekend, according to officials.

Iran, in a formal response sent on Monday, offered a far shorter pause of up to five years, two senior Iranian officials and a US official said, according to a report in The New York Times.

US President Donald Trump has rejected the proposal, the US official added.

Washington has also demanded that Tehran remove highly enriched uranium from its territory.

Iran has pushed back, according to the report, insisting the material remain inside the country, while offering instead to dilute it significantly to levels unsuitable for weapons use.

US officials argue the concern remains that Iran would retain the capability to re-enrich the material in the future.

Talks over a possible further round of in-person negotiations are ongoing, though no date has been agreed.

“A grand deal”

Speaking to Fox News host Bret Baier on Monday, US Vice President JD Vance said there had been progress in the Islamabad discussions, describing “some good conversations” with Iranian officials.

He said the “ball is now in Iran’s court”, adding that the key question was whether Tehran would show sufficient flexibility to move the process forward.

Vance said Iran had shown some willingness to adjust its position but “didn’t move far enough”. On the prospect of renewed talks, he said that question was “best put to the Iranians”.

Asked about the Strait of Hormuz, Vance said its status would be central to any eventual agreement. He added that there was “a grand deal to be had”, but stressed that responsibility now lay with Iran to make it possible.

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Source: TRT