U.S.–Iran talks collapse
U.S. and Iranian negotiators met in Islamabad for 21 hours but left without a peace deal, according to U.S. officials. (nytimes.com) The discussions covered Tehran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz, and Vice‑President J.D. Vance said Iran would not accept U.S. terms barring nuclear development. ( )
The United States and Iran ended 21 hours of talks in Islamabad early on April 12 without a peace deal, leaving a two-week ceasefire in doubt. (nytimes.com) Vice President J.D. Vance said the talks broke down after Iran refused U.S. terms that would bar it from developing the capacity to build a nuclear weapon. He said the negotiations had run through the night with President Donald Trump in contact from Washington. (apnews.com) The negotiations were held in Pakistan’s capital, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government acting as host and mediator after a fragile two-week ceasefire paused six weeks of fighting. Iranian state media and U.S. officials had signaled late on April 11 that the sides were still talking deep into the night. (abcnews.com) At issue was not only Iran’s nuclear programme but also 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. CNN reported that failure in Islamabad raised fresh uncertainty about whether the route would reopen fully to tanker traffic. (cnn.com) Vance said Washington wanted “an affirmative commitment” that Iran would neither seek a nuclear weapon nor keep the tools needed to build one quickly. Iranian officials answered that the United States had tried to impose terms and had not gained Tehran’s trust. (apnews.com) Iran’s side was led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, according to multiple live reports from Islamabad. U.S. officials said no members of the American delegation stayed behind after the talks ended, limiting the chance of immediate back-channel follow-up. (indiatoday.in, aljazeera.com) The ceasefire these talks were meant to shore up came after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian sites and Iranian threats tied to shipping through Hormuz. Before the Islamabad meeting, Trump had warned that U.S. strikes would resume and intensify if no agreement was reached soon. (cnn.com) By Sunday morning in Islamabad, both delegations had left. The immediate question was no longer whether the talks would stretch into another session, but whether the pause in fighting would hold without one. (apnews.com)
