U.S. Proposes 20-Year Pause; Iran Offers Five-Year Counter | JQJO

U.S. officials said Vice‑President J.D. Vance led talks in Islamabad on April 12–13 in which the United States proposed a 20‑year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity and Iran countered with a proposal for up to a five‑year suspension. Sources familiar with the negotiations said the U.S. position was not a permanent ban on enrichment but a long suspension that would allow Iran to maintain a non‑permanent claim to rights under the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty. No agreement was reached and U.S. officials said further in‑person meetings were being discussed.

Officials and analysts noted other unresolved issues beyond timelines, including restoring free passage in the Strait of Hormuz, verification and dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, and Tehran’s support for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. A central sticking point is U.S. insistence that Iran remove about 440kg of near‑bomb‑grade uranium; Iran has insisted the fuel remain in the country but has offered to dilute it. Sources also said both sides have engaged in strategic leaking as secrecy around negotiations is preserved.