By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – According to media reports on Tuesday a fresh proposal has been shared with both Iran and the US to resend their delegations even as no date has been finalized for the meeting with delegations from Tehran and Washington keeping Friday through Sunday open.
The development comes a day after Trump claimed that Iran has reached out and the country wants to “make a deal badly.”
US and Iran could return to Islamabad this week to the second round of negotiations to end the war, reported Reuters.
Both nations had met in Islamabad on Saturday last week to discuss an agreement to end the conflict but the talks collapsed after they failed to reach consensus on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The talks failed in Islamabad, Trump had apparently suggested that the US and Iranian delegations reached consensus on most of the issues but Tehran’s nuclear ambitions were the key sticking point.
According to a news report, the US was pushing for a 20-year ban on Iran’s nuclear enrichment.
Tehran was ready to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities only for five years.
The Iranians had reportedly made a very similar proposal in February this year during direct negotiations with the US, a move that prompted the US and Israel to attack Iran.
Free passage through the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas is the other critical issues that may hamper the negotiations.
The report claimed that the fact that the two sides are argued over the time period for suspending nuclear activity suggests that “there may well be room for a deal.”
Trump claimed that Iran has reached out and wants to “make a deal very badly”.
“We’ve been called by the other side and they want to make a deal very badly,” the US President said, adding, “We’ve been called this morning by the right people on Iran.”
He clarified the US position on Iran’s nuclear ambitions remains unchanged.
“Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. If they don’t agree, there’s no deal,” he added.
White House officials have not confirmed another round of meetings but added “in-person negotiations” were being discussed.
