Iran, US Return To Islamabad For Round 2: A Look At Key Issues That Need To Be Resolved

A day ahead of the peace talks in Islamabad, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said that Washington and Tehran “are far from a final agreement”.

On Monday, the US and Iran will hold a second round of talks to work out a way to end the war. However, a confusion remains on whether US Vice President JD Vance would be part of the delegation.

The first round of talks, held on April 11-12 in Islamabad, had failed after over 20 hours of talks.

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Meanwhile, Iran’s parliament speaker has cast doubts over the result of Monday’s talks. “On some issues, conclusions have been reached in the negotiations, and on others not; we are still far from a final agreement,” Ghalibaf said.

On Saturday, Iran

announced that it would close the Strait of Hormuz again citing “repeated breaches of trust” as the US maintained a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Previously, Iran had pushed for ships to pay a fee for secure transfer across the waterway. “We have not destroyed the enemy—they still possess money and weapons—but strategically, they have been defeated in the face of us,” he said.

Three Key Issues Between US And Iran

Fate of Iran’s uranium stockpiles: The US President had suggested that Iran has agreed to ship its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US. However, a senior Iranian official rejected the claim and said the demand was a “non-starter”.

According to CNN, Iran has about 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium and Tehran has asked for major sanctions relief and unfreezing of assets north of $20 billion.

Curbs on uranium enrichment: The time period on any suspension to Iran’s enrichment program remains another point of contention. CNN quoted officials saying that the American negotiators proposed a 20-year pause on Iran enriching uranium during talks last weekend. In response, Iran tabled a proposal for a five-year suspension, which the US has rejected.

Reopening Strait of Hormuz: The world rejoiced on Friday with Iran announcing that it would reopen the key shipping route, which has been shut for almost two months.

However, Tehran on Sunday once again said it is reimposing strict limits on shipping in response to Trump saying a US blockade on Iranian ports will continue until a deal is reached.