US Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that the Islamabad Talks with Iran failed as the two sides could not bridge the gulf of differences despite hectic efforts spanning more than 21 hours. Vance addressed a press conference after “substantive discussions” in direct talks between the two sides. The talks were the first since 1979 at this level mediated by Pakistan.
“We have been at it now for 21 hours, and we have had a number of substantive discussions; that’s the good news,” Vance said, adding, “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement.”
“We have made very clear what our red lines are, what things we are willing to accommodate them on and what things we are not,” the US Vice President said, adding that the Iranian delegation had “chosen not to accept our terms”.
“I won’t go into all the details because I don’t want to negotiate in public after we negotiated for 21 hours in private. But the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and that they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said, and added that stopping Iran from getting a "nuke" was the “core goal of the US President, and that’s what we have tried to achieve through these negotiations”.
He then praised Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, saying, “Whatever shortcomings were in the negotiations were not because of Pakistanis, who did an amazing job and really tried to help us and the Iranians bridge the gap and get to a deal.”
What does Iran have to say?
Separately, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, in an X message, also confirmed that the two sides failed to make a deal and “numerous messages and texts have been exchanged between the two sides".
“In the past 24 hours, discussions were held on various dimensions of the main negotiation topics, including the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, lifting of sanctions, and the complete end to the war against Iran and in the region,” he wrote.
“The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran’s legitimate rights and interests.”
He further expressed appreciation to the “government and the warm-hearted and noble people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for hosting the negotiations and their benevolent efforts in advancing this process”.
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