Efforts to ease tensions between the United States and Iran continue to stall over a single, unresolved demand: Washington’s insistence that Tehran curb the range of its ballistic missiles. CNN reports this, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

According to earlier reporting by The New York Times, the past week brought no tangible progress in talks. The newspaper noted that Tehran has shown no willingness to soften its stance or meet the conditions set out by US President Donald Trump. Sources describe the missile issue as the most contentious element of the dialogue, with the US pressing Iran to accept limits on its ballistic capabilities. Tehran, however, has flatly rejected this demand and signaled that it is prepared to discuss only matters directly related to its nuclear program.

Iran’s missile arsenal is a particular source of concern for Israel. During the escalation with Iran in June 2025, Israeli forces were forced to commit a substantial share of their missile defense resources to intercept incoming Iranian strikes, underscoring the scale of the perceived threat. At the same time, a US official previously told the media that Washington remains open to dialogue with Tehran-but strictly within the framework of conditions that have already been communicated to the Iranian side.