Iran never gives ...
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One of the main sticking points in the Iran-US talks is the dispute over uranium enrichment. The US is pushing for a total shutdown of enrichment in Iran, while Iran insists this is its inalienable right and refuses to give ground. This impasse led the fifth round of talks, held in Rome on May 23—which Araghchi described as “one of the most professional sessions”—to end in stalemate, with no date set for a sixth round.
Iranian officials have repeatedly driven home in recent weeks that they will not agree to even an hour’s suspension of enrichment, making it clear that insisting on zero enrichment in Iran would steer the talks toward failure. The Iranian foreign minister has previously posted on X that Iran is ready for a diplomatic solution, but any deal must bring about the full lifting of sanctions and safeguard Iran’s nuclear rights, including enrichment. While the US’s insistence on zero enrichment appears to have boxed in both Tehran and Washington, Iran’s suggested approach—focusing on the specifics of enrichment and exploring various oversight mechanisms—could help break the deadlock.
The Iran-US talks have reached a critical juncture. The uncertainty over the timing and location of the sixth round only underscores the complexity of the diplomatic path ahead. The political, security, and economic fallout of a failed negotiation for all parties in the Middle East, Europe, and the US has spurred them into round-the-clock efforts to ensure diplomacy wins out over other options. Oman’s Foreign Minister Busaidi, after the fifth round of talks in Rome, wrote on X about ongoing efforts to help Tehran and Washington strike a “sustainable and honorable” agreement. The key to such a deal is a win-win solution, where Tehran reaps the benefits of effective sanctions relief, and Trump can tout a deal distinct from the JCPOA. In such a roadmap, a dogged insistence on zero enrichment in Iran—clearly declared as a non-negotiable red line—will only drag out the talks and play into the hands of those seeking to sabotage diplomacy.