Iran and the United States have made some progress in efforts toward an agreement under Pakistani mediation, though significant differences remain more than halfway through a two-week truce, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday.

Pakistan’s army chief visited Tehran on Wednesday in an effort to prevent a renewed escalation, while Islamabad hosted the first round of talks last weekend. A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that no dates have been set yet for a second round of talks between the United States and Iran.

The official said the visit of Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to Tehran helped reduce disagreements in certain areas. However, he stressed that “fundamental disagreements still remain in the nuclear field,” adding that “more hopes have been created for extending the ceasefire and holding a second round of talks.”

He noted that the fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and the duration of nuclear restrictions are among the most disputed issues, saying no solution has yet been reached.

Iran has emphasized that its nuclear program and uranium enrichment activities are within its sovereign rights, peaceful, and purely for civilian purposes. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei recently reiterated that uranium enrichment is a right derived from Iran’s membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), adding, “As long as we are members of the treaty, it is natural for us to continue enrichment.”

US rejected former offer, left empty-handed

While insisting that Iran halt its uranium enrichment rates, the United States itself rejected a previous agreement in which Iran was willing to dilute 450 kilograms of enriched uranium rather than hand it over. 

Iran’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Nikzad stated on Monday that such a step was intended as a confidence-building measure within the framework of negotiations. Nikzad revealed that earlier rounds of talks had included plans to establish a joint consortium involving Iran, the United States, and Saudi Arabia to oversee the dilution process; however, they backed down, undermining progress.

Rather than accepting the suggestion, the US and "Israel" launched an extensive aggression on Iran, yet reaped no gains. Instead, the US was forced to withdraw from the war it started empty-handed, while suffering the aftermath of unprecedented surges in oil prices as its population faces mounting economic strains and drained weapon stockpiles. 

Read more: US withholds war on Iran cost figures, no funding request yet: WSJ