According to several American media outlets, this 20-year hiatus would have been accompanied by a relaxation of sanctions. In return, Iran reportedly offered to suspend its nuclear activities for five years.
The United States sought a 20-year suspension of the Iranian uranium enrichment program for an agreement to end the war, as reported by American media on Monday following the failure of negotiations on Sunday.
President Donald Trump declared war on February 28, claiming that Iran was developing a nuclear bomb – a claim Tehran denies – and promising to never let the country possess a nuclear weapon.
American Vice President JD Vance left negotiations with Iran empty-handed on Sunday, with the main sticking points being the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian nuclear program. According to American media citing officials close to the discussions in Islamabad on Saturday, Washington asked Tehran on this occasion to commit to not enriching uranium for 20 years.
This 20-year hiatus would have been accompanied by a relaxation of sanctions, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. In return, Iran reportedly proposed to suspend its nuclear activities for five years, according to the New York Times. These proposals reported by the press appear to be a softened version of the demands publicly made by Donald Trump, who insisted that Iran permanently give up its nuclear ambitions.
In 2018, during his first term, he withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the great powers, a document that provided for a relaxation of sanctions in exchange for strict limitations on uranium enrichment and enhanced monitoring of the country’s facilities.
“It’s one thing for the Iranians to say they won’t get nuclear weapons, but it’s another thing for us to put in place the necessary mechanisms to ensure that this won’t happen,” said JD Vance on Monday after unsuccessful peace negotiations in Pakistan, adding that the United States had presented “clear red lines.” Iran has already said that it will not accept any restrictions on its right to enrich uranium as part of what it claims to be a civilian nuclear program.
The “central question” is the removal of all highly enriched uranium that Iran has already produced, as well as “ensuring that there is no more enrichment in the years to come, or even decades to come,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday, a close ally of Donald Trump. Russia announced on Monday that it is ready to accept Iranian enriched uranium on its soil as part of a potential peace agreement between Washington and Tehran.
