US-Iran ceasefire talks: What are the key sticking points?

High-stakes talks betwixt the United States and Iran person ended without a deal, and Iran’s main negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has blamed the US for the failure of talks held successful Islamabad, Pakistan, during a two-week ceasefire successful their war.

Ghalibaf, the talker of Iran’s parliament, said connected Sunday that ⁠his delegation raised “forward-looking” initiatives ⁠during the talks connected Saturday but the US failed to summation the spot of the Iranian delegation.

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US Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation, said earlier that the talks ended without a deal. “The atrocious quality is that we person not reached an agreement, and I deliberation that’s atrocious quality for Iran overmuch much than it’s atrocious quality for the United States of America,” helium said six weeks into the US-Israeli warfare connected Iran.

The talks – the archetypal nonstop engagement betwixt the 2 countries astatine this level since the 1979 Iranian Revolution – exposed heavy divisions connected halfway issues, including Iran’s atomic programme and the Strait of Hormuz, which successful effect has been nether Tehran’s power since the warfare began connected February 28.

The de facto blockade of the waterway, done which one-fifth of planetary crude lipid supplies pass, has caused a planetary vigor situation and rattled banal markets globally.

Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said the talks mediated by Pakistan, which went connected for much than 21 hours, were “neither a breakthrough nor a breakdown”.

Here’s a look astatine what each broadside said and what the cardinal sticking points betwixt Tehran and Washington are:

What did the US say?

The US framed the deficiency of a breakthrough chiefly astir Iran’s alleged refusal to conscionable its halfway demand: a steadfast committedness not to make atomic weapons.

“We request to spot an affirmative committedness that they volition not question a atomic limb and they volition not question the tools that would alteration them to rapidly execute a atomic weapon,” Vance told reporters astatine a quality conference.

“That is the halfway extremity of the president of the United States, and that’s what we’ve tried to execute done these negotiations.”

Vance said Washington had made its “red lines” wide and presented what helium described arsenic a “final and champion offer”.

The vice president did not notation reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

During the negotiations, US President Donald Trump seemed to insert himself successful the talks, saying a woody was not wholly necessary.

“We’re negotiating. Whether we marque a woody oregon not makes nary quality to maine due to the fact that we’ve won,” helium told reporters successful Washington, DC.

However, the information that Trump sent Vance to Islamabad showed the US was taking these talks seriously, Al Jazeera’s John Hendren said, reporting from Washington, DC.

“The information that Vance near [Islamabad] doesn’t needfully mean that the talks are over,” helium said, adding that the main sticking points look to beryllium the Strait of Hormuz and the gaps connected Iran’s atomic programme.

“The US has been negotiating with Iran implicit time. Those talks tin proceed remotely, and leaving those talks whitethorn simply beryllium a hard stance,” the Al Jazeera analogous added.

What did Iran say?

Iran downplayed expectations and blamed the US for making what it called unreasonable demands.

“The occurrence of this diplomatic process depends connected the seriousness and bully religion of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran’s morganatic rights and interests,” Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei wrote connected X.

He added that the 2 sides discussed a scope of issues, including the “Strait of Hormuz, the atomic issue, warfare reparations, the lifting of sanctions, and the implicit extremity of the warfare against Iran”.

Baghaei emphasised that the deficiency of a woody should not beryllium seen arsenic a nonaccomplishment of the broader process, saying, “No 1 had specified an expectation.”

According to the IRNA quality agency, erstwhile asked whether diplomacy had ended, Baghaei said, “Diplomacy ne'er ends.”

Ghalibaf posted connected X: “The US has travel to recognize Iran’s logic and principles, and present it indispensable determine whether it is susceptible of gaining our trust.”

Mohsen Farkhani from the University of Isfahan said Tehran entered the talks not for a breakthrough but to amusement the satellite that Washington was not serious.

“Iran was successful these negotiations with a benignant of wholly realistic presumption and with distrust … to beryllium to the satellite that, for the 3rd time, the US doesn’t person capable seriousness to lick the problems oregon the challenges successful bid and negotiations,” helium told Al Jazeera.

What did Pakistan say?

Pakistan called for the ceasefire to proceed portion keeping diplomacy alive.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stressed that it is “imperative” for some sides to uphold their committedness to the ceasefire, informing implicitly of the risks of renewed struggle if it collapses.

“We anticipation that the 2 sides volition proceed with the affirmative tone to execute durable bid and prosperity for the full portion and beyond,” Dar said.

Pakistan volition proceed to “play its relation to facilitate engagement and dialog between” Iran and the US “in the days to come”, helium added.

What are the main sticking points?

Iran’s atomic programme

This remains the cardinal quality betwixt Tehran and Washington.

The US wants a wide and enforceable committedness that Iran volition not make atomic weapons – oregon adjacent the capableness to bash truthful quickly.

Iran has consistently rejected accusations that it seeks to physique atomic weapons but said it is consenting to negociate limits connected its atomic activities if sanctions are removed.

Iran said its atomic programme is for civilian purposes and it has nary volition of making a atomic weapon. Washington and Tehran signed a atomic woody successful 2015 nether US President Barack Obama. The statement enactment a bounds connected Iran’s uranium enrichment of 3.67 percent successful instrumentality for sanctions relief. But Trump, who succeeded Obama, withdrew Washington from the woody 3 years aboriginal and slapped sanctions backmost connected Iran. Since then, Iran has accelerated its uranium enrichment to 60 percent. To marque an atomic bomb, 90 percent enrichment is required.

Trump has publically called for enriched uranium to beryllium removed from Iran. During Israel’s 12-day warfare connected Iran successful June, the US carried retired aerial strikes connected Iran’s 3 main atomic sites, aft which Trump claimed that Iran’s atomic programme had been obliterated. But 8 months later, helium started a warfare against Iran by saying 1 of his main goals was to support Iran from obtaining a atomic weapon.

The warfare was launched portion talks mediated by Oman were nether mode betwixt Iran and the US. Oman had said a abbreviated clip earlier the attacks began that a woody was “within reach”.

Strait of Hormuz

Who gets to power this strategical waterway, done which astir each of the lipid and earthy state exports from the Gulf nations pass, has go a large flashpoint.

Iran has floated the thought of charging transit fees to let ships to walk done the strait. Meanwhile, the US is adamant the strait is reopened escaped of immoderate tolls.

The adjacent shutdown of shipping done the strait has sent planetary vigor prices soaring with galore countries, particularly successful Asia, forced to instrumentality unprecedented austerity measures to soften the interaction of substance shortages.

Experts said the near-closure of the strait has caused the worst economical daze since the 1973 lipid embargo.  That embargo removed 4.5 cardinal barrels per time from the planetary supply. Today’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has blocked 20 million.

Extending the ceasefire to Lebanon

Iran is pushing for a broader determination ceasefire, including an extremity to warring involving its allies, specified arsenic Hezbollah successful Lebanon.

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed enactment for Washington’s decision to suspend the strikes connected Iran, helium said the ceasefire volition not widen to Israel’s ongoing subject operations successful Lebanon.

Hours into the ceasefire, which began connected Wednesday, Israel carried retired dozens of attacks crossed Lebanon, sidesplitting much than 300 radical successful 1 day.

However, Tehran insisted the ceasefire included Lebanon, citing Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ceasefire announcement connected X, which unequivocally stated this was the case.

Trump has backed Netanyahu’s comments, calling it “a abstracted skirmish”. Vance this week warned Iran that it would beryllium “foolish” to jeopardise its ceasefire with Washington implicit Israel’s attacks successful Lebanon.