Islamabad talks collapse
A 21‑hour diplomatic push in Islamabad to negotiate limits on Iran’s nuclear programme broke down over core differences about enrichment and sequencing. Mediators and negotiators walked away after long discussions that exposed the main gaps on uranium enrichment and the order in which steps would be taken. (time.com, axios.com) U.S. negotiators reportedly discussed allowing Iran to keep nuclear fuel inside the country if it were diluted to make weaponisation impractical, while the U.S. also asked for removal of highly enriched uranium — a demand Iran resisted. (nytimes.com, nytimes.com)
The United States and Iran left Islamabad on April 13 without a nuclear deal after roughly 21 hours of talks over uranium enrichment and the order of any concessions. (time.com) Vice President J.D. Vance, who led the U.S. side, said Iran “chose not to accept our terms” after the face-to-face session in Pakistan’s capital. Time and National Public Radio reported that mediators had tried to turn the meeting into both a ceasefire and nuclear framework. (klcc.org) At the center of the dispute was enriched uranium, the nuclear fuel made by spinning uranium gas in centrifuges until the share of the fissile isotope rises. U.S. negotiators discussed letting Iran keep some fuel if it was diluted, while also pressing for highly enriched stockpiles to be removed from the country, a demand Iran resisted. (nytimes.com) The second fight was sequencing: Tehran wanted firm assurance that bombing would stop and sanctions relief would follow, while Washington wanted nuclear steps first. Time reported that Iranian negotiators came to Islamabad after Iran had been bombed twice during earlier diplomacy with the United States in the last year. (time.com) This was not a debate over abstract paperwork. The International Atomic Energy Agency said before the 2025 attacks that Iran had about 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, far above civilian reactor levels and much closer to weapons-grade material at about 90%. (armscontrolcenter.org) The older 2015 nuclear deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, had capped Iran’s enrichment level at 3.67% and sharply limited its stockpile in exchange for sanctions relief and inspections. The United States left that agreement on May 8, 2018, and Iran later breached its limits. (armscontrolcenter.org) (trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov) That history shaped the Islamabad meeting. Washington was trying to lock in physical limits on fuel and equipment, while Tehran was trying to avoid giving up leverage before it saw a durable halt to military pressure. (time.com) (nytimes.com) Pakistan is now trying to bring both sides back for another round, according to reporting published April 14. For now, the talks ended where they began: with both governments still divided over how much nuclear material Iran can keep, and when either side must move first. (msn.com)
