PANews reported on April 12 that, according to Cailian Press, three main sticking points exist in the US-Iran negotiations: the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, uranium enrichment, and the unfreezing of Iranian overseas assets. The US has demanded that Iran immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz, allowing all maritime traffic. Two informed Iranian officials stated that "Iran refuses to relinquish control of this vital waterway" and indicated that it will only do so after a final peace agreement is reached. Iran is demanding compensation from the US for damage caused by the airstrikes and the unfreezing of frozen oil revenues in Iraq, Luxembourg, Bahrain, Japan, Qatar, Turkey, and Germany for reconstruction purposes. However, the US has rejected these demands.

Another issue is that US President Trump demanded that Iran "hand over or sell its entire stockpile of near-weapon-grade enriched uranium." Officials said Iran countered with a similar demand, but the two sides failed to reach a compromise. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bagaei said that day that Iran and the United States reached consensus on some issues, but disagreed on two or three key points, ultimately failing to reach an agreement. "We should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single negotiation from the beginning, nor should anyone have had such an expectation."