US–Iran talks stall

The United States and Iran ended 21 hours of talks in Islamabad without a deal, leaving a two-week ceasefire under fresh strain. (apnews.com) Vice President J.D. Vance said on Sunday, April 12, that Iran had rejected U.S. terms and that the American team was leaving Pakistan. He said Washington wanted an “affirmative commitment” that Tehran would not seek a nuclear weapon or the tools to build one quickly. (abcnews.com) The talks were the first face-to-face negotiations between senior U.S. and Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and Pakistan’s government hosted them in Islamabad after inviting both sides earlier in the week. Vance was joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. (abcnews.com) (time.com) The immediate dispute was bigger than one meeting. A temporary ceasefire announced on April 8 was supposed to create a two-week window to turn a battlefield pause into a fuller agreement after fighting that began on February 28. (nbcnews.com) Three issues have dominated the diplomacy: Iran’s uranium enrichment, its stockpile of enriched uranium, and control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes. (abcnews.com) (time.com) The Strait matters because the ceasefire was tied to shipping. Trump said on April 8 that the pause depended on Iran agreeing to the “complete, immediate, and safe opening” of the route, while Iranian officials said they would reopen it only after a final peace deal. (time.com) (nytimes.com) That gap has not closed. CNBC reported on April 12 that most shipping traffic was still blocked, and Iranian state media continued to frame the strait as leverage in the talks. (cnbc.com) (tasnimnews.ir) Another pressure point is Lebanon. Iran has argued that Israeli strikes on Hezbollah positions there violated the first terms of its ceasefire proposal, and analysts told Time that Tehran would struggle to lock in its own truce while Lebanon remained under attack. (time.com) Trump publicly played down the failed meeting before it ended, saying on April 11 that a deal “doesn’t matter” because “regardless of what happens we win.” He also kept up military pressure, warning in recent days that Iran faced broader strikes if Hormuz did not reopen. (fortune.com) (abcnews.com) Vance said Washington left Islamabad with what he called its “final and best offer.” For now, the ceasefire still exists on paper, but the talks that were supposed to turn it into a settlement ended with both sides still arguing over the same core terms. (cnbc.com) (apnews.com)