US-Iran Nuclear Talks Stall Over Uranium Removal and Verification Demands

In an interview with Fox News, Vance said the talks - held at a high level in Pakistan - clarified both areas of flexibility and firm US "red lines".

"I wouldn't just say that things went wrong. I also think things went right. We made a lot of progress," he said, adding that the discussions marked "the first time that you'd ever seen the Iranian government, the US government meet at such a high level".

The central sticking point, he said, remained Washington's insistence that Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon", a principle that underpins all US negotiating positions.

Vance outlined two non-negotiable demands. "We must have the enriched material out of Iran," he said, referring to uranium stockpiles. The second was a "conclusive commitment to not develop a nuclear weapon", backed by verification mechanisms.

"It's one thing for the Iranians to say that they themselves are never gonna have a nuclear weapon... but you have to, of course, verify these things," he said.

According to Vance, Iranian negotiators had moved "in our direction" but "didn't move far enough", prompting both sides to pause talks and return to their capitals.

"The ball really is in their court," he said, indicating that further negotiations would depend on Tehran's willingness to accept US conditions.

Vance also linked progress in talks to broader regional issues, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route.

"We need to see the straits... fully open," he said, accusing Iran of attempting to "move the goalpost" during negotiations. While there had been "some significant uptick in traffic", he said, "we haven't seen that full reopening".

Failure to restore full access, he warned, could "fundamentally change the negotiation".

On enforcement, Vance confirmed that US naval operations were targeting not only Iranian-flagged ships but also vessels linked to Iranian ports.

"Any vessel that we know is going to Iranian ports or has come from Iranian ports... we're gonna know," he said, citing US intelligence capabilities.

He accused Iran of engaging in "economic terrorism against the entire world" by threatening shipping through the strait, adding: "If the Iranians are gonna try to engage in economic terrorism, we're gonna abide by a simple principle that no Iranian ships are getting out either."

Despite the tensions, Vance said there remained scope for a broader agreement.

"The president... would be very happy if Iran was treated like a normal country... if its people were able to prosper and thrive," he said. "But... it's gonna have to be a normal country from the perspective of not pursuing a nuclear weapon... and not pursuing terrorism."

He also acknowledged that Iranian negotiators may need approval from higher authorities in Tehran before committing to a deal. "They had to go back... and actually get approval to the terms that we had set," he said.

Vance emphasised US leverage in the talks, citing "military advantage" and "additional economic pressure... through the blockade".

"We have a lot of cards. We have the leverage," he said.

- IANS