2h ago
10.15 BST
What are
the key issues the US and Iran are expected to discuss?
- Sanctions, the strait of Hormuz, nuclear enrichment and Israel’s attacks on Lebanon are some of the key issues on the agenda in today’s Islamabad talks.
- The US has demanded Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz, the key shipping route that has been effectively shut since the start of the war on 28 February. Iran wants acknowledgment of its authority over the narrow waterway, and has suggested charging transit fees for ships seeking passage, a demand the US has rejected. Donald Trump, however, has floated the idea of a “joint venture” between the US and Iran to set tolls.
- Iran, while claiming it is not seeking a nuclear weapon, wants recognition of its right to enrich uranium. The US has ruled this out and Trump has insisted “there will be no enrichment of uranium”. Iran’s nuclear programme has been at the centre of tensions between the two countries for decades, with the US imposing sanctions and other restrictive measures to end it.
- Iran wants the ceasefire to include Lebanon, where the Israeli military’s attacks have killed more than 2,000 people since the start of the fighting on 2 March, according to Lebanese authorities. Israel claims the ceasefire does not cover its military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and it continues to launch attacks in the country.
- Iran has also demanded sanctions relief and a guarantee that the US will not attack Iran again, suggesting a permanent end to hostilities beyond the two-week ceasefire.
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