As we’ve been reporting, Vice President JD Vance is expected to leave Washington today with top US officials to travel to Pakistan ahead of the latest round of talks on the war with Iran, sources have told CNN.
A second round of negotiations between US and Iranian delegations is currently planned for Wednesday in Islamabad, they said. They noted that the situation remains fluid due to continued heated public rhetoric by both the US and Iranians.
All indications point to a number of hurdles that still need to be resolved. Here are the main sticking points:
The fate of Iran’s uranium stockpiles: Trump suggested last week that Iran agreed to ship its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US, a claim that was quickly rebuked by a senior Iranian official who said the demand was a “non-starter.”
Iran has about 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium – a significant amount. One proposal that has been floated involves unfreezing Iranian assets in exchange for Tehran turning over its stockpile.
Iran has asked for major sanctions relief and unfreezing of assets north of $20 billion, a source familiar with the negotiations told CNN.
Curbs on uranium enrichment: The length of any suspension to Iran’s enrichment program remains another point of contention. The Iranian official who spoke to CNN rejected Trump’s assertion that Tehran agreed to halt the program indefinitely, saying Iran “will never accept” being an “exception from international law.”
During talks the weekend before last, American negotiators proposed a 20-year pause on Iran enriching uranium, a source familiar with the discussions told CNN. Iran responded with a proposal for a five-year suspension, which the US has rejected, according to a US official.
Reopening the Strait of Hormuz: The world breathed a sigh of relief last Friday when Iran announced it would reopen the key shipping route, which has been effectively shuttered for almost two months.
But the reprieve was short-lived. Iran then reimposed strict limits on shipping in response to Trump saying a US blockade on Iranian ports will continue until a deal is reached. Two vessels reported attacks on Saturday while trying to pass through the strait.
CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen, Alayna Treene and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting.
