The United States has conveyed a “conditional willingness” to reduce its demand for a halt to Iran’s uranium enrichment programme from 20 years to 10 years, provided Tehran gives strong guarantees that it will not seek to develop nuclear weapons, two Pakistani government sources said on Tuesday.
The proposal comes as Pakistan intensifies behind-the-scenes diplomacy to broker a second round of high-stakes talks between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending weeks of conflict across the Middle East.
According to a senior Pakistani government source familiar with the negotiations, Washington’s main objective remains a long-term suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief and the unfreezing of Iranian financial assets.
“Washington’s priority is still the suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment program for at least 20 years,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Tehran, however, has reportedly proposed a five-year moratorium.
“But Washington has shown its conditional willingness to reduce the moratorium timeframe from 20 years to 10 years if Tehran gives some strong guarantees about its nuclear weapons concerns,” the source added.
Iran has not yet formally responded to the latest US proposal.
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Pakistan at the centre of mediation
The diplomatic push follows Pakistani army chief Gen. Asim Munir’s three-day visit to Iran last week, where he met both civilian and military leaders as Islamabad deepened its role as a mediator.
Munir, who has reportedly spoken several times with US President Donald Trump, is directly involved in efforts to bridge the gap between the two sides on the nuclear issue — the biggest obstacle to a negotiated settlement.
Pakistani sources say both Washington and Tehran continue to exchange proposals and messages through Islamabad in an effort to reach what one official described as a “maximum understanding” before formal talks resume.
The next round of negotiations is expected to take place in Islamabad.
Enriched uranium, monitoring disputes
Among other US proposals is the transfer of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile for 10 years, preferably to the US or a third country.
