ISLAMABAD — The United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement after a day of highly anticipated face-to-face peace talks, Washington’s lead negotiator, Vice President J.D. Vance, announced Sunday.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. And I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the U.S…. they have chosen not to accept our terms,” Vance said at a press conference in Islamabad before boarding Air Force Two to leave the country. He said the key sticking point was Tehran’s refusal to give “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.”
Iran said the sides had “reached an understanding on a number of issues, but ultimately the talks did not lead to an agreement.” Tehran has repeatedly insisted its nuclear program is civilian and that it has a right to enrich uranium for that purpose.
The status of a two-week ceasefire is now uncertain. Vance left open the possibility of a future deal, saying the U.S. was leaving “a very simple proposal: a method of understanding that is our final and best offer,” and adding, “We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.”
Pakistan, which hosted the talks and has positioned itself as a key mediator, said it would continue to play a role. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged both sides to uphold the ceasefire.
The negotiations lasted about 21 hours after beginning Saturday. They were the first face-to-face engagement between U.S. and Iranian officials since 2015, when a nuclear agreement negotiated under the Obama administration was later abandoned by former President Trump, and the highest-level contacts between the countries since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
So far President Trump has not publicly commented on the talks’ failure, though he posted on his Truth Social platform about other matters and attended a UFC fight Saturday night with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Earlier Saturday, Trump wrote “We win, regardless” and said “we’ve totally defeated that country.” Vance said he had been in consistent contact with the president while in Islamabad.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the talks covered the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear issues, sanctions, reparations and ending the war against Iran and the region. He criticized the U.S., saying the diplomatic process depends on the opposing side’s seriousness and “refraining from excessive demands,” and warned that expectations of reaching an agreement in a single meeting were unrealistic.
Under Tehran’s multi-point negotiation plan, Iran had demanded an end to Israel’s attacks against Hezbollah as part of any permanent agreement. Other Iranian demands reportedly included the release of $6 billion in frozen assets, guarantees regarding its nuclear program and the right to charge fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysts said the optics of Iranians and Americans meeting were notable, coming weeks after a U.S. and Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader. The Iranian delegation posted photos showing empty seats on their plane with pictures and bloodied belongings of schoolchildren killed in a U.S. missile strike.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has continued despite the ceasefire efforts. Israel says it struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets over the weekend; Hezbollah reports ongoing rocket, drone and artillery attacks on Israel and Israeli forces inside Lebanon. Lebanon said its and Israel’s ambassadors to Washington will meet Tuesday at the State Department to discuss a ceasefire and possible negotiation dates. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his goals include disarming Hezbollah and reaching a peace agreement with Lebanon.
The talks coincided with U.S. Navy activity in the region: two U.S. guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz Saturday, the first American warship passage since the war began six weeks ago. U.S. Central Command said it had begun setting conditions to clear Iranian sea mines in the waterway to “encourage the free flow of commerce.”
Betsy Joles in Islamabad, D. Parvaz in Van, Turkey, Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to reporting.