US Iran Peace Talks Latest News | Leverage vs Leverage: Why US-Iran Negotiations Are Going Nowhere

The US-Iran negotiations are increasingly looking less like diplomacy and more like a high-stakes contest of leverage. On uranium enrichment, Washington is pushing for a 20-year halt, while Tehran is offering only a limited 3-5 year suspension - a gap that remains irreconcilable for now. The divide runs deeper. The US wants complete removal of Iran's nuclear stockpiles, while Iran is willing to consider only partial transfer to a third country, preserving its strategic edge. Sanctions remain another major fault line - phased relief versus immediate economic reopening. At the heart of the standoff lies the Strait of Hormuz, with the US demanding unrestricted access and Iran using it as a pressure point. Add to that disagreements over missile programmes and regional proxies, and the scope of talks itself becomes contested. With both sides convinced time is on their side - Washington through economic pressure, Tehran through strategic disruption - analysts say the deadlock is not accidental, but deliberate.