The US and the Iranian delegations departed Pakistan on Sunday, soon after the US Vice President JD Vance said that talks with Iran had failed to reach an agreement.
The US vice president’s departure came almost an hour after he addressed a press conference at the site of the trilateral ‘Islamabad talks’, mediated by Pakistan, which culminated almost 21 hours after they began on Saturday afternoon.
Hours after Vance’s departure, the Iranian state media reported that Iran’s delegation had left Islamabad as well.
“We have been at it now for 21 hours, and we have had a number of substantive discussions, that’s the good news,” said Vance at the press conference. “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” he added.
“We have made very clear what our red lines are, what things we are willing to accommodate them on and what things we are not willing to accommodate them on,” said the US vice president, adding that the Iranian delegation had “chosen not to accept our terms”.
In case you missed it:
- JD Vance said US-Iran talks in Islamabad lasted 21 hours but ended without an agreement.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said delegations reached an understanding on several points, but “views far apart” on two to three issues.
- The US insisted on guarantees that Iran would not pursue nuclear weapons, which Tehran refused to accept.
- Both sides held “substantive discussions” and exchanged proposals on issues like sanctions, nuclear policy, and regional conflict.
- Iran said progress depends on US “good faith” and recognition of its rights, including sanctions relief and access to funds.
- Pakistan was praised by both sides for mediating despite the deadlock.
Vance began the press conference by appreciating Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, saying that they were “incredible hosts”.
He also clarified that “whatever shortcomings were in the negotiations were not because of Pakistanis, who did an amazing job and really tried to help us and the Iranians bridge the gap and get to a deal”.
When the US vice president was asked to elaborate on what had the Iranians rejected, he began by saying: “I won’t go into all the details because I don’t want to negotiate in public after we have negotiated for 21 hours in private. But the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek nuclear weapons and that they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon.”
That, he said, was the “core goal of the US president, and that’s what we have tried to achieve through these negotiations”.
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Vance added that while Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities had been “destroyed”, the “simple question is: do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon, not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term?”
“We haven’t seen that yet, we hope that we will,” he said.
Vance was also asked whether Iranian frozen assets were discussed during the negotiations.
“We talked about all those issues, and we talked about a number of issues beyond that. And so, certainly those things came up. But again, we just could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms.”
He added that he believed the US delegates were “quite flexible” and “accommodating”.
US President Donald Trump, he said, had told the delegates that they need to “come here in good faith and make your best effort to get a deal”.
“We did that. And unfortunately, we were unable to make any headway,” Vance said.
Lastly, the US vice president was asked how frequently had the American delegates been communicating with Trump throughout the negotiations.
Vance said they had been talking to Trump consistently, besides other top US officials.
“We were constantly communicating with the team because we were negotiating in good faith. And we leave here with a very simple proposal: a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We will see if the Iranians accept it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, wrote on X that it “was a busy and long day for the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Islamabad”, during which “numerous messages and texts have been exchanged between the two sides.”
“In the past 24 hours, discussions were held on various dimensions of the main negotiation topics, including the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, lifting of sanctions, and the complete end to the war against Iran and in the region,” he wrote.
“The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran’s legitimate rights and interests.”
Baqaei also expressed appreciation to the “government and the warm-hearted and noble people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for hosting the negotiations and their benevolent efforts in advancing this process”.
In a separate statement carried by Iran’s Mehr news agency, Baqaei maintained that the negotiations were taking place after “40 days of the imposed war”.
“It is natural, from the beginning, we should not have expected to reach an agreement within a single session. No one had such an expectation either,” he was quoted as saying.
He added that the delegations reached “understanding” on several issues; however, he stated that “on 2-3 important issues, views were far apart, and ultimately, the talks did not lead to an agreement”. He further stated the negotiations lasted for “a total of 24 or 25 hours and highlighted that another point of contention was “the complexity of the issues and the circumstances”.
He held that during the negotiations, “some new issues, such as the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, were added”.
“Each of these has its own complexity,” Mehr quoted Baqaei as saying.
“Under any circumstances, we in the diplomatic apparatus must pursue the rights and interests of the Iranian people,” he added.
The trilateral talks, which commenced on Saturday afternoon, saw the US and Iranian delegations engage in discussions over three sessions, with teams of experts from the two parties exchanging written texts after each session.
The Iranian government said in a post on X that the talks were held at the “expert-level stage as economic, military, legal, and nuclear committees joined”.
“Negotiations continue at the Serena Hotel to finalise technical details,” it had added.
The talks took place during a two-week ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran that began with US-Israeli attacks on February 28. The conflict, which spread across the Middle East and sent shockwaves through global economies, paused after Pakistan brokered a temporary ceasefire on April 8.
Delegations from the two countries had arrived in Islamabad for the negotiations.
The US delegation was led by US Vice President JD Vance, who was accompanied by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Iranian delegation was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and also included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with other leaders.
In a post on X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran’s delegation remained “fully committed” to safeguarding the country’s interests.
He expressed hope that the delegation would “negotiate courageously”. He added that regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, the government will “stand by its people”.
PM Shehbaz meets Iranian delegation
Prior to the talks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held separate meetings with delegations from the United States and Iran.
PM Shehbaz held a meeting with the Iranian delegation at the Islamabad Talks today, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement
“Appreciating Iran’s engagement in the Islamabad Talks, the prime minister affirmed Pakistan’s sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator to help build momentum towards achieving meaningful results in the interest of regional and global peace and stability,” PMO stated.
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi attended the meeting from the Pakistani side.
The PMO shared a video from the exchange, showing PM Shehbaz greeting Ghalibaf and Araghchi by hugging them and shaking hands.
An Iranian delegation has met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, ahead of talks with the United States. Confirming the sit-down, the PM’s official account on X wrote, “Appreciating Iran’s engagement in the Islamabad talks, the Prime Minister affirmed Pakistan’s sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator to help build momentum towards achieving meaningful results in the interest of regional and global peace and stability.” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshall Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi attended the meeting from Pakistani side, while the Iranian side was led by the Speaker of the Iranian Assembly, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, assisted by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Video via PakPMO/X. DawnToday
PM Shehbaz meets US VP Vance
PM Shehbaz held a separate meeting with Vance, Witkoff and Kushner, who had arrived in Pakistan earlier in the day.
In a statement issued about the US delegation’s meeting, the PMO said, “Commending the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, the prime minister expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region.”
The statement added that the premier “reiterated that Pakistan looks forward to continue its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region”.
PM Shehbaz was assisted by Dar and Naqvi, according to PMO.
Delegations arrive
Shortly after 10:30am PKT on Saturday, Vance landed at the Nur Khan Air Base, where he was greeted by Dar, Naqvi and CDF Munir.
United States Vice President JD Vance and his delegation arrived in Pakistan on Saturday morning for historic talks with the Iranian leadership. The talks are taking place during a two-week halt in the US-Israeli war against Iran, which began with US-Israeli attacks on February 28. The conflict, which spread across the Middle East and sent shockwaves through global economies, paused after Pakistan brokered a temporary ceasefire on April 8. Vance was met by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir after disembarking at the Nur Khan Air Base. The Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad early on Saturday morning after a last-minute hurdle over Israeli strikes in Lebanon eased. Tehran had conditioned its participation on a halt to attacks in Lebanon, a point Pakistan said was included in the US-Iran ceasefire. DawnToday
♬ original sound – Dawn.com – Dawn.com
In a statement officially confirming the US delegation’s arrival, the Foreign Office (FO) said that Dar welcomed Vance and “commended US commitment to achieving lasting regional and global peace and stability”.
The deputy premier “expressed the hope that parties would engage constructively, and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching [a] lasting and durable solution to the conflict”.
The Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad early on Saturday morning after a last-minute hurdle over Israeli strikes in Lebanon eased. Tehran had conditioned its participation on a halt to attacks in Lebanon, a point Pakistan said was included in the US-Iran ceasefire.
Officials from the US National Security Council, State Department and Department of Defence are accompanying Vance, while advanced security, technical and communications teams reached Islamabad on Friday.
According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, other Iranian negotiators include Supreme National Defence Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian and central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati.
Points of contention
As of Friday, talks had come close to being derailed as Iran insisted it would not join negotiations unless Israeli strikes in Lebanon stopped.
Ghalibaf made clear on Friday evening that Tehran’s participation hinged on two conditions — a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad, estimated at about $7 billion. He said these steps “must be fulfilled before negotiations begin”.
An Iranian official told Dawn: “We forced a pause in attacks in Beirut and Dahieh by making it a red line in negotiations and also made it clear that if Israel crosses it again, talks would be off.”
Iran maintains that any ceasefire must extend across all fronts, including Hezbollah, while the US and Israel have treated Lebanon attacks as outside the scope of the truce despite an initial understanding that Lebanon would be part of the ceasefire.
The divergence has repeatedly threatened to unravel the diplomatic track.
Ahead of his departure from Washington, Vance described the expected talks as potentially “positive” and said the US was prepared to negotiate in good faith, while cautioning that Washington would not be “receptive” to what it sees as stalling tactics.
Trump, however, struck a harder note, warning that Iran did not have “many cards” left and that military action could resume if the talks failed. He also criticised Tehran over continued restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains a key point of leverage in the standoff.
PM Shehbaz said Pakistan, which has played a central role in facilitating the talks, would “try its level best” to ensure their success. He framed the negotiations as an opportunity to resolve “contentious issues through dialogue” but acknowledged the complexity of the task ahead.
The agenda reflects that complexity. While the talks are based on Iran’s 10-point proposal, which was accepted by Washington as a general framework, fundamental differences persist between the two sides.
The US is expected to push for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme, including limits on enrichment and possible removal of nuclear material, while Iran is demanding full sanctions relief, recognition of its nuclear rights, a framework for navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and access to frozen funds.
Regional proxy networks, missile ranges and sequencing of concessions remain additional flashpoints.
Officials and analysts believe that the breadth of issues makes it unlikely that substantive breakthroughs will emerge within the initial two-day engagement. At best, the opening round may establish a pathway for continued negotiations or yield limited understandings on immediate de-escalation measures.
Expectations, therefore, remain cautious. The arrival of delegations in Islamabad would, nevertheless, represent a rare diplomatic opening, but the process is unfolding under considerable strain with ongoing violence in Lebanon, continued disruption in Gulf shipping lanes and deep mistrust between Washington and Tehran.
Additional input from Baqir Sajjad
