US Vice-President JD Vance has blamed the failure of marathon negotiations with Iran on the country's refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, while Iranian delegates claim Washington needs to do more to win their trust. The talks, held in Islamabad, were the first direct US-Iranian meeting in more than a decade and the highest-level discussions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Vance, who left Islamabad on Sunday after 21 hours of talks, said his team had been clear on its red lines. He stated that a core goal of President Donald Trump was to secure an affirmative commitment from Iran not to seek a nuclear weapon or the tools to quickly achieve one. He added that the failure to reach an agreement was 'bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America.'
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation, said the US had been 'unable to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation' despite 'constructive initiatives' from Tehran. Iran's foreign ministry downplayed the breakdown, saying no one expected an agreement in a single session. The semi-official Tasnim news agency cited 'excessive' US demands as a hindrance.
The war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran six weeks ago, has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran and caused widespread damage. A 14-day ceasefire is in place, but its future is uncertain. Pakistani mediators have urged both sides to refrain from hostilities, and Israel's security cabinet minister Ze'ev Elkin warned that 'the Iranians are playing with fire.'
