Pakistan talks fail

American and Iranian negotiators left Islamabad without a ceasefire deal after 21 hours of talks, and Vice President J.D. Vance flew out early Sunday. (apnews.com) Vance said Iran had refused U.S. terms centered on giving up any path to a nuclear weapon, and he said the two sides ended the session with “no agreement reached.” (newsday.com) The meeting in Pakistan was the first face-to-face session of its kind since the war began, and it came under a two-week truce announced on April 8 that is due to expire on April 22. (usatoday.com) (apnews.com) Pakistan had stepped in as mediator after weeks of fighting between the United States, Israel and Iran widened into a regional crisis and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. (politico.com) (cnbc.com) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that carries a large share of the world’s seaborne oil, and the ceasefire has been under strain because shipping there has not fully resumed. (cnbc.com) After Vance departed, President Donald Trump said the United States Navy would begin “the process of BLOCKADING” ships entering or leaving the strait, though he did not publicly spell out rules, timing or legal authority. (sfgate.com) (6abc.com) Trump also played down the need for a negotiated truce, writing “we win” as he argued the United States held the stronger military position after weeks of strikes and naval deployments. (fortune.com) Iran had entered the weekend talks with its own conditions, including relief tied to frozen assets and developments in Lebanon, and Iranian officials had signaled before the meeting that any permanent settlement would be broader than a battlefield pause. (usatoday.com) (time.com) By Sunday, neither side had announced a new round of talks, and the unanswered question was whether the April 22 truce deadline would hold without a deal in Islamabad. (apnews.com)