What is the story about?
The United States and Iran ended a historic round of face-to-face talks early Sunday in Pakistan's capital city, Islamabad, without reaching an agreement.
"...The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement," US Vice President JD Vance said. With this, the fate of the fragile, two-week ceasefire is still unclear. The talks were held between the US delegation, led by Vance, comprising US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and the Iranian delegation headed by the country's Parliament Speaker MB Ghalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. The talks were scheduled after the US and Iran had announced a temporary ceasefire on Tuesday, ending the war which began on February 28. Check Live Updates Here
JD Vance Shares 'Bad News' As US-Iran Talks Collapse
Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation during the 21 hours of talks, said negotiations finished without a deal after the Iranians refused to accept American terms to refrain from developing a nuclear weapon. "...The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. I think that is bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the USA. So, we go back to the US having not come to an agreement...they have chosen not to accept our terms," US VP JD Vance said.
"...Whatever shortcomings in the negotiation, it wasn't because of the Pakistani who did an amazing job and really tried to help us and Iranians bridge the gap and get to a deal. We have been at it now for 21 hours and we have had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That's the good news," he said.
Read More - The One Dealbreaker That Sank Iran-US Talks
"But the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon," Vance told reporters. "That is the core goal of the president of the United States. And that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations."
Why US-Iran Talks Failed? Iranian Delegation Explains
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the United States' "excessive demands" prevented a framework from being reached. Various issues, including the Strait of Hormuz, and its nuclear rights, have been among the points of contention, Iranian state media reported.
Fars news agency, citing a source close to the Iranian delegation, says the US demanded "everything they couldn't obtain" from the war during the talks in Islamabad. The agency said, "Iran did not accept America’s ambitious conditions regarding the Strait of Hormuz, peaceful nuclear energy, and several other issues".
Pakistan Says Will Continue Mediation
As the talks failed, Vance departed for the US. Following this, Pakistan said it will continue to facilitate talks between the US and Iran, while urging both sides to uphold the ceasefire. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan has helped mediate several rounds of “intense and constructive” discussions over the past 24 hours.
"I, along with the Defence Forces Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, helped mediate several rounds of intense and constructive negotiations between the two sides that continued through the last 24 hours and ended this morning... It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to the ceasefire,” he said.
"Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagements and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the US in the days to come," he said.
What's Next? Will the Iran War Resume?
The "no deal" talk in Islamabad not only leaves the threat of the ceasefire collapsing, but also means that the global supply chain will continue to be hit as Iran has offered no commitment on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which 20-25 per cent of the world's oil and gas passes.
Donald Trump had earlier said that he did not care much about how the talks unfolded. It is also not clear if he has the urge to resume the conflict, which he claims he has won.
(With agency inputs)
