Iran's Nuclear Program Back at the Center of Stalled U.S. Talks

Nearly eight months after the U.S.-Israel-Iran war erupted, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict are running into a major obstacle: Tehran's nuclear program — the justification Washington and Tel Aviv cited when they launched the campaign in February — has once again become one of the thorniest sticking points on the road to a ceasefire.

According to sources, the war has triggered a global energy crisis and widened into a regional conflict, with Yemen emerging as the latest battleground. A June memorandum between the United States and Iran had focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz — the world's key oil chokepoint — and stated that Iran "must not purchase or develop nuclear weapons." A comprehensive agreement covering the nuclear issue, however, could not be reached within the 60-day deadline, and the memorandum expired in mid-August.

Analysts say differing interpretations of the memorandum's provisions caused the deal to collapse. The nuclear issue is now once again the focus of dispute, with Tehran insisting that uranium enrichment is a right guaranteed under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

On the U.S. side, President Donald Trump has demanded "no uranium enrichment." His ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reaffirmed on Sunday his commitment to toppling the Iranian government, calling it essential to preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance appeared earlier this week to offer concessions on nuclear doctrine in pursuit of a deal.

Qatar and Pakistan are taking part in mediation efforts. Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, a key negotiator, is in Tehran and met on Tuesday with Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

According to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, Rezaei said at the meeting that "not even a single particle of enriched uranium will leave Iran," describing the material as an important national asset that would stay in the country for civilian purposes. The remarks came amid media reports that the United States wants Iran to ship some of its enriched uranium abroad. Rezaei also said talks with the United States would not begin until Washington takes confidence-building measures, including meeting Iran's latest conditions.

Under those conditions, Iran is demanding that the United States lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waive sanctions and release frozen assets. In return, Iran has pledged to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Another Iranian lawmaker, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, also reiterated that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons. "Iran's enrichment activities are none of America's business, and Washington should focus on fulfilling its own obligations on nuclear disarmament," he said.

On the American side, Trump told a Republican campaign rally earlier this week that U.S. airstrikes had destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities and that he would not allow Tehran to rebuild them. "They can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump told supporters at Northern Kentucky University.

Vice President Vance said earlier this week that the United States had "in some ways won a decisive victory" in the war with Iran and had destroyed its nuclear program. In an interview with CBS News, he said Washington was now focused on securing a "long-term" and "verifiable" commitment from Iran not to rebuild its nuclear program.

He asked: "Not under the Donald Trump administration… but five years from now, can the Iranians rebuild that nuclear weapons stockpile? Can they try to rebuild that enrichment capability?"

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said this week that the decision to end the war ultimately rests with Trump. "The United States will not support any deal that creates a pathway for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon," he said. "As long as President Trump is in office, they will not have a nuclear weapon."

Last month, Vice President Vance told Reuters that Tehran must make "meaningful" cuts to its uranium enrichment capacity to meet U.S. demands and end the war. "If you don't want a nuclear weapon, why do you need 60% enriched fuel? And if you want to demonstrate a commitment not to build a nuclear weapon, don't build high-enriched fuel. It's a very basic threshold issue," he said.

The memorandum signed on June 17 left the future of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile to further negotiations but identified dilution under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision as the minimum approach to addressing the issue. Dilution involves mixing highly enriched uranium with lower-enriched material, making it harder to convert quickly into weapons-grade material. The memorandum allowed Iran to reduce enrichment levels domestically rather than hand over the material, but did not specify how much should be diluted, the target enrichment level or a detailed timeline.

One provision of the memorandum stated: "The two sides also agreed to discuss the enrichment issue and other mutually agreed matters related to the nuclear needs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on a satisfactory framework agreed in the final deal." No final agreement was reached, however, and the memorandum expired in mid-August.

The Trump administration cited the urgent threat of a nuclear-armed Iran when it launched the war on Feb. 28, 2026. On the first day of the conflict, U.S.-Israeli airstrikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had issued a religious decree banning the development of nuclear weapons.

Trump has often argued that Iran would use a nuclear weapon "the moment they got one," after which "the Middle East would be gone, Israel would be gone, and then maybe they'd hit Europe next." He has also repeatedly criticized Iran's nuclear program in the past.

As the war dragged on, U.S. focus gradually shifted to reopening the Strait of Hormuz as a basic condition. Last week in Alaska, Trump again falsely claimed that he had to launch the war because "Iran was two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon." In April, he warned that "the enrichment material, sometimes referred to as 'nuclear dust,' will be excavated by the United States… and DESTROYED." Later that month, he told reporters aboard Air Force One that the United States would "get it back with Iran and bring 100% of it to the United States."

Iran-based foreign policy analyst Mostafa Najafi said on X that "despite the U.S. insistence on nuclear talks and demands for specific concessions in this area, Washington is unwilling to offer significant concessions such as lifting sanctions." In his view, the United States wants "major concessions in exchange merely for lifting the blockade and releasing some of Iran's assets." He wrote: "From Iran's perspective, lifting the blockade and releasing assets are no longer noteworthy concessions to Tehran!"