According to a report by The Times of Israel, a historic attempt to end more than six weeks of devastating conflict in the Middle East ended in failure early Sunday morning, as high-stakes, face-to-face negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded without an agreement.
The breakdown of the 21-hour marathon session at the Pakistani capital leaves a fragile ceasefire in jeopardy and global oil markets bracing for further volatility.
The atmosphere in Islamabad was heavy with the weight of the impasse, as both delegations prepared to depart while trading blame for the diplomatic stalemate.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, leading the American delegation alongside special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, delivered a blunt assessment of the failed talks shortly before his departure.
“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 United States of America,” Vance told reporters. “So we go back to the United States having not come to an agreement. We’ve made very clear what our red lines are.”
Vance emphasized that the U.S. had approached the table with sincerity, describing their final position as a best offer that now rests entirely in Tehran’s hands.
“We were negotiating in good faith,” he said. “And we leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.”
While the talks covered a range of issues including the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the cessation of regional hostilities the Vice President identified the prevention of a nuclear-armed Iran as the non-negotiable core of the American position.
“We need to see 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,” Vance stated. “That is the core goal of the president of the United States, and that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.” Read_More…