U.S. and Iran Fail to Reach Agreement After 21 Hours of Talks in Islamabad

 

The United States and Iran have failed to reach an agreement after 21 hours of negotiations in Islamabad, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance saying Tehran refused to accept Washington’s terms. Speaking to reporters before departing Pakistan’s capital, Vance said the outcome was “bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States,” marking the highest‑level contact between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

According to Al Jazeera, Vance’s departure does not necessarily signal the end of negotiations. Correspondent John Hendren reported from Washington, DC, that President Donald Trump’s decision to send Vance underscored how seriously the White House is treating the talks. Hendren added that the main sticking points remain Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz and unresolved gaps surrounding the nuclear issue. He noted that the U.S. is demanding not only that Iran pledge never to develop nuclear weapons, but also that it refrain from attempting to access such capabilities — a point that contributed to years‑long negotiations in the mid‑2010s.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said no one expected a breakthrough in a single session. Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state broadcaster IRIB that Tehran was “confident that contacts between us and Pakistan, as well as our other friends in the region, will continue,” emphasizing that the process was always expected to take time.

Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, urged both sides to maintain the ceasefire and continue working toward a lasting settlement. “On behalf of Pakistan, I would like to express gratitude to the two sides for appreciating Pakistan’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire and its mediator role,” he said. “We hope that the two sides continue with a positive spirit to achieve durable peace and prosperity for the entire region and beyond.”

The talks come at a critical moment, with the fragile ceasefire still in place and the Strait of Hormuz — a vital global oil corridor — at the center of the dispute. While negotiations have stalled, both Washington and Tehran appear prepared to continue discussions through diplomatic channels.