ISLAMABAD: United States Vice President JD Vance on Sunday confirmed that intensive 21-hour negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded without reaching an agreement, despite Pakistan’s mediation efforts aimed at ending weeks of conflict.
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Speaking to reporters before departing Islamabad, Vance said, “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” adding that the outcome was “more damaging for Iran than for the United States.”
He praised Pakistan’s leadership for hosting and facilitating the high-level diplomatic engagement, commending Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir for their role in ensuring constructive talks.
“Whatever shortcomings of the negotiation, it wasn’t because of the Pakistanis who did an amazing job trying to bridge the gap,” Vance said.
The US delegation included senior officials such as special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner, while Iran was represented by Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Vance said Iran had refused to accept key US conditions, particularly commitments related to its nuclear programme. “We need an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon,” he said, calling it Washington’s central objective.
Iranian officials, however, accused the US of presenting “excessive demands,” while maintaining that some progress had been made on secondary issues. Tehran said major disagreements remained over nuclear restrictions and the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry described the talks as taking place in an atmosphere of mistrust, adding that expectations for a single-round breakthrough were unrealistic.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged both sides to uphold the fragile ceasefire agreed earlier this month and continue diplomatic engagement.
Despite the failure to reach a deal, both sides acknowledged Pakistan’s role in facilitating the first direct high-level US-Iran contact in over a decade.
The talks, held under a ceasefire framework brokered by Pakistan, were aimed at de-escalating a conflict that has already disrupted global energy markets and intensified tensions across the Middle East.
