US–Iran talks collapse
U.S. and Iranian negotiators held 21 hours of talks in Pakistan but left without an agreement, U.S. Vice‑President J.D. Vance said after departing. Reports say the Iranian delegation did not accept American conditions for ending hostilities, and the marathon session ended with no deal. (nytimes.com)(apnews.com)
The United States and Iran ended 21 hours of direct talks in Islamabad without a deal, leaving a two-week ceasefire under new strain. (apnews.com) Vice President J.D. Vance said early Sunday, April 12, that Iran had refused American terms centered on giving up any path to a nuclear weapon. He said the U.S. delegation was leaving Pakistan after what he called substantive discussions. (apnews.com) The talks were the third round of face-to-face negotiations and began Saturday in Pakistan’s capital, with Pakistani officials mediating between the two sides. Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his government would keep trying to facilitate more dialogue in the coming days. (nytimes.com) (reuters.com) The immediate issue was not just a ceasefire on paper but whether fighting would resume in a war that entered its seventh week this weekend. Associated Press reported that the conflict has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets since late February. (apnews.com) (news.un.org) Washington said the central demand was an affirmative Iranian commitment not to seek a nuclear weapon or the tools needed to build one quickly. Tehran answered that the talks failed because of what its Foreign Ministry called “excessive demands” and “unlawful requests.” (cnbc.com) (nytimes.com) Iranian officials said the agenda went beyond the nuclear issue to include sanctions relief, war reparations, the complete end of attacks on Iran and the region, and the Strait of Hormuz. That waterway carries a large share of the world’s oil shipments, which is why every threat around it moves energy markets. (abc.net.au) (aljazeera.com) Pakistan cast the session as constructive even without an agreement. Dar said after the talks that “it is imperative” for both sides to keep honoring the ceasefire while Islamabad works to bring them back to the table. (dawn.com) (reuters.com) For now, the result is narrower than either side wanted: no peace deal, no public breakthrough, and no clear replacement for the truce announced on April 8. The next test is whether the ceasefire survives after the negotiators have gone home. (news.un.org) (apnews.com)
