Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar has said that Iran was happy to downblend its nuclear stockpile, instead of “shipping the uranium out”.
In an interview with Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath, Pakistan’s foreign minister reflected on Iran's position during negotiations with the US and the challenges that remain before a final agreement can be reached.
Ishaq Dar said Iran will lower its enrichment level instead of shipping uranium out, and that three technical working groups will now work on the nuclear file, frozen assets and Lebanon.
Dar said the United States had originally demanded the removal of Iran's enriched uranium reserves. “Instead, a compromise was reached under which Iran will lower the enrichment level while the material remains stored underground,” he added.
Dar said the issue can be settled in one of three technical working groups now being formed to address the nuclear file, frozen Iranian assets and Lebanon.
On the Strait of Hormuz, Dar said that during a 60-day period no tariffs will be received and commercial vessels may transit freely in both directions, paying only standard navigation or service fees. China backs the arrangement, he added.
Dar confirmed that Iran's oil and petrochemical sanctions have been suspended, the naval blockade lifted and some frozen assets released. He stressed that provocative Israeli attacks on Lebanon must cease.
The minister said President Donald Trump personally supervised the negotiations, which produced the first direct Iran-US meeting in 47 years. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and the UAE all support the mediation, he added, and Iran had expressed satisfaction with the process.
Dar forecast the next phase would be the hardest but insisted a final agreement is achievable. The deal, he said, contains no negative point.
Replying to a question, Ishaq Dar said Israeli attacks on Lebanon had nearly derailed the efforts to bring the United States and Iran to the negotiating table, as technical talks between the two sides began in Switzerland aimed at implementing a recently announced memorandum of understanding.
Dar said the discussions represent the second phase of the US-Iran diplomatic process. “The parleys which have started in Burgenstock could have started a few days earlier, but because of Israeli attacks on Lebanon actually derailed everything and stopped everything,” Dar said, referring to the US-Iran technical talks held in the Swiss resort.
Dar described the recently announced US-Iran memorandum of understanding as a credible framework for future negotiations. “It is a very well-thought-out document, acceptable to both the parties,” he said, adding “Nobody should doubt on the intentions of the signing parties.”
The foreign minister said negotiators have been given 30 days to conclude work on certain issues, while the broader agreement is expected to be finalized within 60 days, a timeline that could be extended by mutual consent.
“They have for certain items, they have 30 days to conclude. But the bulk and overall conclusion of the final deal, the timeline is 60 days,” Dar said.
The minister also pointed to what he described as early economic benefits from the easing of tensions. “We have seen already the dividends of this peace,” he said. “The prices of energy have come down, the ships had started moving.”
Dar reiterated Pakistan’s position that navigation through the Strait of Hormuz should return to conditions that existed before the conflict erupted on February 28. “We had, apart from its facilitation role and facilitator, its own very clear mind, that the Hormuz should be restored to pre-28th of February when the conflict started, which means no fee, no toll,” he said.
“So, the 60 days it has been now guaranteed, during which they will work out with the regional countries, you know, on this subject they will finalize.”
Dar said Pakistan played a key role in facilitating dialogue between Washington and Tehran, helping bring the two sides together for the first time in 47 years. The foreign minister added that Islamabad worked with regional and international partners to support mediation efforts and help ensure the success of the talks.