The US and Iran signaled a potential for flexibility in their diplomatic standoff despite failing to reach a final agreement during weekend talks in Pakistan, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
A degree of flexibility exists on both sides, people familiar with the negotiations said, noting that discussions specifically addressed the core issue of uranium enrichment.
While the first round of direct talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad ended without a deal, the participants are expected to meet for further sessions soon.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the next round of ceasefire discussions is expected to take place in Islamabad. Neither capital has formally confirmed the reported progress or room for negotiations.
The removal of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is one of Washington’s core demands in negotiations to permanently end the war that began on Feb. 28.
Much of the material, estimated at around 450 kilograms enriched to 60%, lies buried under nuclear sites already struck during the US-Israeli offensive.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran will hand over the stockpile voluntarily or the United States will take it by other means.
US President Donald Trump has demanded a 20-year freeze on enrichment and the total removal of the material from Iranian soil.
Tehran has countered with a proposed five-year pause while insisting that the stockpile stay within its borders, according to an earlier Wall Street Journal report.