The nuclear issue sits at the center of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire because it represents the deepest strategic disagreement between the two sides. The CRS brief says the reported U.S. proposal restated long-standing demands that Iran dismantle its nuclear facilities, abandon enrichment, and give up highly enriched uranium. That position is straightforward from Washington’s perspective: the United States wants to ensure that Iran cannot rapidly move toward a nuclear weapon.

Iran’s position appears fundamentally different. The report says one version of Iran’s 10-point proposal reportedly included acceptance of enrichment, and the White House said on April 8 that the President’s red lines, including an end to enrichment in Iran, had not changed. That gap is not a minor wording dispute. It is the core of the bargaining problem, because enrichment is both a technical capability and a symbol of sovereignty for Tehran.