US-Iran talks collapse over uranium enrichment dispute, 20-year freeze proposal stalls deal

High-stakes negotiations between the United States and Iran collapsed at the final stage after both sides failed to bridge differences over restrictions on Tehran’s uranium enrichment programme.

At the centre of the deadlock was a US proposal seeking a 20-year pause on uranium enrichment, aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons capability. Iran, however, rejected the demand and pushed for a significantly shorter suspension, leading to a breakdown in talks.

The US proposal also included a requirement that Iran transfer or give up its stockpile of enriched uranium, which Tehran refused. Instead, Iranian negotiators offered to dilute the material under international monitoring, a counter-proposal that failed to satisfy Washington.

Despite the standoff on nuclear issues, both sides had reportedly made progress on other aspects of the deal, including sanctions relief and verification mechanisms. However, the disagreement over the duration and scope of enrichment restrictions proved to be the key obstacle.

The talks, held with mediation from countries including Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey, had raised hopes of a breakthrough before collapsing at what officials described as the “last mile.”

The failure of the negotiations has added to rising tensions between the two countries, already strained by ongoing conflict and recent US actions targeting Iran’s economic and maritime activities.

The collapse also dims prospects of reviving a framework similar to the 2015 nuclear deal, under which Iran had agreed to limit enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.

Officials from both sides have indicated that channels of communication remain open, but no timeline has been set for the resumption of talks.