Delegations from the United States and Iran ended 21 hours of negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan without reaching an agreement on ending the ongoing conflict.
The talks began on Saturday and concluded on Sunday, with Pakistan acting as a mediator between the two sides. The US delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance.
After the lengthy discussions, Vance announced that Iran had rejected several proposals presented by the United States during the negotiations, which reportedly included 15 key points.
According to reports from Reuters, one of the major sticking points was Iran’s refusal to halt its nuclear weapons development program.
Vance said the failure to reach an agreement was more damaging for Iran than for the United States.
“The bad news is that we failed to reach an agreement, and I think that is worse news for Iran than it is for the United States. We are returning to the United States without a deal. We clearly explained our position and the limits of what we can accept,” he said.
He added that the US position remains firm on the issue of nuclear weapons.
“We need to see a clear commitment that Iran will stop pursuing nuclear weapons. That is the primary objective of the President of the United States, and it was the main goal of these negotiations,” Vance stated.
On the other hand, Iranian officials argued that the United States had presented demands that were excessive and in some cases unrealistic. Iran indicated that disagreements remained on two or three key issues.
Besides the demand to stop Iran’s nuclear program, the United States also asked Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, stop supporting armed groups, and halt attacks on countries in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Iran demanded that the United States lift economic sanctions, stop military strikes against Iran, and withdraw American troops from the Middle East.
Following the collapse of the talks, Vance and the US delegation left Pakistan, while the Iranian delegation was expected to depart on Sunday.
It remains unclear whether another round of negotiations will be organized. However, Pakistan said it would continue efforts to mediate between the two countries.
The talks failed despite a temporary two-week ceasefire agreement that had been reached by the two sides just days earlier.