U.S.–Iran talks fail
Marathon talks in Pakistan between U.S. and Iranian delegations failed to produce a peace deal after more than 20 hours of negotiations. (nytimes.com) Vice‑President J.D. Vance acknowledged no agreement was reached while Iranian negotiators left open the possibility of further rounds, and President Trump said the U.S. would ‘‘blockade’’ the Strait of Hormuz after the talks collapsed. ( )
U.S. and Iranian negotiators left Islamabad on April 12 without a deal after 21 hours of face-to-face talks. (reuters.com) Vice President J.D. Vance said, “we have not reached an agreement,” and said the U.S. team was returning home after Iran refused American terms on its nuclear program. (abcnews.com) The talks were held in Pakistan’s capital and included Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the U.S. side, with Pakistani officials mediating the session. (abcnews.com) The immediate dispute was not just about stopping current fighting. Vance said Washington wanted an “affirmative commitment” that Iran would neither seek a nuclear weapon nor keep the tools needed to build one quickly. (abcnews.com) The failure of the talks puts a two-week ceasefire announced on April 8 under new strain. Reuters and The Associated Press both reported that the truce was already fragile before the Islamabad meeting ended. (cfr.org) (apnews.com) Hours after the talks collapsed, President Donald Trump said the United States would begin blockading ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. (apnews.com) That channel carries about 20 million barrels of oil a day, roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption, according to the United States Energy Information Administration. (eia.gov) Iran did not declare the diplomacy over. Iranian officials told state media during the talks that more rounds were possible, and Tehran’s public line after the meeting left open the prospect of returning to the table. (nytimes.com) (pakistantoday.com.pk) Pakistan’s role matters because it brokered the April 8 ceasefire and hosted the first direct U.S.-Iran meeting of this phase of the war. Islamabad had set up a media center and positioned itself as the go-between for both delegations. (cfr.org) (apnews.com) For now, the diplomacy that was supposed to turn a short truce into a longer settlement has produced no written agreement, and both the ceasefire and shipping through Hormuz are hanging on the next move. (reuters.com) (apnews.com)
