Vice President JD Vance announced this Saturday that the peace talks between the United States and Iran held in Islamabad, Pakistan, concluded without an agreement after 21 hours of negotiations.
"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 the conclusion of the talks.
The vice president was emphatic in stating that Iran chose to reject the conditions presented by Washington: "We have made it very clear what our red lines are, what we are willing to concede on, 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 and lasting commitment from Iran not to develop nuclear weapons: "The simple question is: do we see a fundamental commitment from 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. We hope that we will."
The U.S. 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 delegation was led by the President of the Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who arrived in Islamabad with expressed distrust: "We have good intentions but we do not trust. Our experience negotiating with the Americans has always ended in failures and broken promises."
Pakistan acted as a neutral mediator, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and General Asim Munir as key figures.
Vance expressly thanked both for their role as "incredible hosts" and acknowledged that any eventual failures in the negotiation were not the responsibility of the Pakistani side.
From the White House, President Trump had anticipated the outcome with a defiant stance: "We win no matter what happens," he stated to reporters, arguing that the U.S. had already achieved a decisive military victory.
Trump also summarized the U.S. nuclear stance in simple terms: "No nuclear weapon. That is 99% of the matter."
In parallel with the negotiations, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) deployed the destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and USS Michael Murphy to begin the clearance of mines in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil passes, following the mines laid by Iran.
At least 16 boats navigated the Strait this Saturday, one of the busiest days since the ceasefire agreed upon on Tuesday.
Another source of tension during the discussions was the ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon, excluded from the ceasefire.
The Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian cited them as the main obstacle, accusing Israel of attacking civilian sites, including a daycare.
Trump, for his part, warned China that it would face "a big problem" if it supplied air defense systems to Iran, in response to reports about potential deliveries in the coming weeks.
The toll of the conflict to date includes nearly 3,400 dead in Iran —more than 1,600 civilians, according to the human rights group HRANA—, over 2,000 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel, and 13 U.S. military personnel killed in action.
The talks in Islamabad represented the highest level of direct interaction between the U.S. and Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and are framed within the ceasefire agreed upon on April 7, which ended 38 days of Operation Epic Fury, the joint military offensive launched by the U.S. and Israel on February 28, 2026 against Iran.
Filed under: