Washington DC: The United States and Iran are working to resolve remaining wording differences on Tehran’s nuclear programme and the sequencing of sanctions relief as they push to finalise a wider peace deal aimed at ending hostilities in West Asia, CNN reported, citing officials familiar with the talks.
Delegations from both sides have taken incremental steps toward a broader understanding, but disagreements over “language on Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions” have slowed final agreement, US officials told CNN. Still, sources said there is growing optimism that the outstanding gaps can be bridged soon as mediators intensify efforts, as reported by The Economic Times.
A senior US official described the presence of an Iranian delegation in Qatar on Monday — which included Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi — as a constructive move, highlighting Qatar’s active mediation role, CNN reported. The talks in Doha form part of a diplomatic push involving regional and international intermediaries to lock in terms that would halt the fighting and begin de-escalation.
Nuclear Wording Stalls Progress
Washington has sought firm assurances that Iran will dispose of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and will not pursue nuclear weapons capability. A US official told CNN that Iran had agreed in principle to those conditions. Iranian negotiators, however, say detailed discussions on the nuclear programme are not yet on the agenda and should be addressed in a later round of talks.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said, “the focus of the negotiations is on ending the war, and at this stage, we are not discussing details of the nuclear issue,” during a weekly press briefing. CNN also quoted a regional source calling the nuclear issue “one of the main sticking points in the negotiations,” and adding that “Things are changing every single minute.”
Tehran Presses For Sanctions Relief
Tehran has called for clear and time‑bound promises on sanctions relief and the unfreezing of its assets, saying it needs quick access to funds to support its weak economy and see early gains from any deal. The United States has said financial relief will depend on real progress on the nuclear issue and that steps must be carefully sequenced to ensure compliance.
US officials described the sequencing with the phrase, “No dust, no dollars,” meaning Iran must dispose of nearly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium before getting any sanctions relief, CNN reported. Mediators say the biggest challenge now is finding wording on sequencing and verification that both sides can accept.
Despite the remaining disputes over wording and sequencing, officials on both sides and the intermediaries have expressed cautious optimism that the differences can be narrowed soon, possibly paving the way for an agreement that reduces regional hostilities and widens diplomatic engagement.
