The Vice President of United States, JD Vance, announced this Saturday from Islamabad that the negotiations between Washington and Tehran concluded without an agreement after 21 hours of direct talks, warning that the failure affects Iran more than his country.
"The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. And I believe that this is worse news for Iran than for the United States," Vance stated at a press conference before leaving Pakistan. "We have made it very clear what our red lines are, what we are willing to concede, and what we are not. And they have chosen not to accept our terms."
The main obstacle was the Iranian nuclear program. Vance demanded a firm, verifiable, and lasting commitment: "Do we see a fundamental willingness on the part of the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon, not just now, not just in two years, but in the long term? We have not seen that yet."
The Islamabad talks were the first high-level discussions between the two countries since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and took place just days after the ceasefire agreed on April 7, which ended 38 days of Operation Epic Fury, the joint military offensive launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 against Iran.
The American delegation was led by Vance along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump. On the Iranian side, the participants included the Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and the Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi.
Ghalibaf arrived in Islamabad with declared skepticism: "We have good intentions, but we do not trust. Our experience negotiating with the Americans has always ended in failures and broken promises."
Iran presented a ten-point plan that acknowledged not producing nuclear weapons but demanded the right to enrich uranium and sought war reparations. The United States responded with a 15-point plan that called for complete nuclear disarmament and the cessation of enrichment. The continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon added further tension to the negotiations.
Pakistan acted as a neutral mediator. Vance acknowledged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and General Asim Munir as "incredible hosts" during the process.
The Epic Fury Operation destroyed over 5,000 Iranian military targets, degraded 90% of its missile capacity and 95% of its drones, and resulted in the death of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on March 1. The toll of the conflict includes nearly 3,400 deaths in Iran, over 2,000 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel, and 13 American military personnel killed in action.
From the White House, President Trump summarized his administration's position with a phrase: "No nuclear weapon. That’s 99% of the matter," and stated: "We win no matter what happens".
Filed under: