AGENCIES

Iran’s nuclear ambitions were among the biggest sticking points in the negotiations between both sides in Islamabad last weekend.

A Pakistani source earlier told Al Jazeera that there seems to be a breakthrough on that front with the arrival of Pakistani army chief Asim Munir in Tehran on Wednesday.

“Iran believes that the nuclear sphere is among those areas that, if the intent is there, they can find a solution to the problem,” Abas Aslani, a senior fellow at the Centre for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, told Al Jazeera.

“Tehran is open to transparency, provided that the US genuinely seeks an agreement, so it’s not surprising to see if they have made … progress,” he said.

But one still has to see how other parts of this negotiation proceed, Aslani said, adding that new US sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities and the blockade of Iranian ports are among the reasons that Tehran is not very optimistic regarding the negotiation process.

“There is a sense of distrust, and at the moment, Iran is ready for every possible scenario, either progress in the negotiations or returning to the military conflict,” he told Al Jazeera.

Aslani said that he had heard from an Iranian source “that the talks are far less positive than it is being reported”.

“The reason is that there are contradictory stances from the US, as well as spoiler efforts by the Israeli side,” he told Al Jazeera earlier. Regarding a continuation of the ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran, which is due to expire on April 22, the source told Aslani that the ceasefire has not been extended yet.

“The talks are now focusing on the terms of the agreement, which could be included in the potential deal between the two sides,” Aslani said. “It’s a bit early to say what the final outcome could be,” he added.