The three major sticking points stalling US-Iran peace talks
US Vice President JD Vance says Washington leaves with a “final and best offer” as Iran signals no immediate plans for further negotiations
US and Iranian negotiations brokered through Pakistan ended without agreement on Sunday after major gaps remained over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, and frozen overseas revenues, according to officials familiar with the talks and statements by US Vice President JD Vance.
Two Iranian officials told The New York Times that by early Sunday the main sticking points included the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the fate of nearly 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium, and Iran’s demand for about $27 billion in frozen revenues held abroad to be released. The officials said the United States insisted Iran immediately reopen the strait to all maritime traffic, while Tehran refused, saying it would only do so after a final peace deal.
US Vice President JD Vance said the negotiations ended without agreement. “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. And I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America,” he said. He added, “We haven’t seen a fundamental commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon” and said, “We leave with our final and best offer and will see if the Iranians accept it.”
According to Iranian officials cited in the report, Tehran also sought reparations for damage from six weeks of airstrikes and the release of frozen oil revenues held in Iraq, Luxembourg, Bahrain, Japan, Qatar, Turkey, and Germany. US officials rejected those demands, the officials said. Another major dispute centered on President Donald Trump’s demand that Iran hand over or sell its near-bomb-grade enriched uranium stockpile, with Iranian officials saying a counterproposal failed to bridge the gap.
Iranian state-linked media said there were no immediate plans for a new round of talks. “No program has yet been announced for the time, place, or next round of negotiations,” said Nour, the news agency of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Tasnim, citing an informed source, said Iran was “not in a hurry for negotiations” and that there would be no change regarding the Strait of Hormuz unless Washington agreed to a “reasonable deal.”
Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said Tehran’s distrust of Washington stemmed from previous disruptions in talks. “We have not forgotten and will not forget the bad faith and ill intentions of the United States,” he told IRNA. He also said discussions included sanctions relief and compensation for damage attributed by Iran to US-Israeli strikes, as both sides now weigh next steps following the breakdown in Pakistan-mediated negotiations.