Islamabad talks collapse
U.S. and Iranian negotiators spent roughly 20–21 hours in Islamabad but left without a peace deal after talks failed to bridge core disagreements. ( ) U.S. officials said Iran refused terms aimed at preventing development of a nuclear weapon, and post‑talk rhetoric included threats of a U.S. “blockade” of the Strait of Hormuz and reports that American warships were being reloaded for possible strikes. ( )
U.S. and Iranian negotiators left Islamabad on Sunday without a deal after about 21 hours of face-to-face talks. (apnews.com) Vice President JD Vance said the talks ended because Iran would not accept U.S. terms on nuclear restrictions, including what he called an “affirmative commitment” not to seek a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials blamed Washington for the breakdown and did not publicly detail the sticking points. (abcnews.com) The meeting ran overnight in Islamabad, with Vance leading the American side and Pakistani officials hosting and mediating. Pakistan’s government urged both sides after the talks to preserve the ceasefire and return to negotiations. (apnews.com) The immediate issue is not only the war but the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf that carries a large share of the world’s oil shipments. Shipping through the strait has been disrupted during the conflict, putting pressure on energy markets and on the ceasefire itself. (cnbc.com) President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States had begun “clearing out” the Strait of Hormuz, and reports after the talks described U.S. threats of a blockade if diplomacy failed. Trump also said American warships were being reloaded, signaling that military pressure would continue alongside diplomacy. (time.com) The Islamabad session was the first direct U.S.-Iran negotiation since the war began about six weeks ago. It took place under a fragile two-week ceasefire that now remains in doubt after the failure to reach terms. (npr.org) The U.S. position, as Vance described it, was that Iranian enrichment sites had been damaged but that Washington still wanted a long-term political commitment preventing Tehran from rebuilding a path to a bomb. Iran has long said its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, and its negotiators argued that the United States had not earned their trust. (abcnews.com) That left both sides departing Pakistan with the ceasefire still formally in place but with no roadmap for extending it. The next test is whether the fighting stays paused while Washington and Tehran decide if Islamabad was a dead end or only the first round. (washingtonpost.com)
