Vice President JD Vance said Saturday that the U.S. and Iran failed to reach an agreement after more than 21 hours of intense negotiations in Islamabad, leaving a fragile two-week ceasefire in serious jeopardy.
Vance presented the impasse as a strategic problem for Tehran rather than Washington. "This is bad news for Iran much more than this is bad news for the U.S.," he told reporters at a press conference following the talks, which stretched into Sunday morning local time.
The central sticking point involved nuclear commitments. The U.S. demanded Iran make a long-term "affirmative commitment" to abandon nuclear weapons and the capacity to quickly produce them. Vance said that commitment never materialized. "We haven't seen that yet, we hope that we will," he said.
Vance characterized the American negotiating posture as accommodating. The U.S. team remained "quite flexible" and negotiated "in good faith," he argued, but the gaps proved too wide to bridge. He emphasized that Washington had laid out clear red lines that Iran declined to accept.
The breakdown threatens to unravel a ceasefire agreement the two sides reached just last week. Without a deal, the risk of escalating military conflict returns to the table.
Behind the scenes, the negotiations involved multiple rounds and formats across Saturday. Vance's team maintained regular communication with President Trump, checking in at least half a dozen times throughout the day. They also consulted with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper.
Before departing, Vance said the U.S. left what it considers a final proposal on the table. "We leave here with a very simple proposal. A method of understanding that is our final and best offer," he said. "We will see if the Iranians accept it."
The calculus now shifts to whether Tehran will reconsider its position or allow the diplomatic window to close, potentially triggering a new round of hostilities after the tentative pause.
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