— We did not reach an agreement with Iran because Iran decided not to accept our conditions, said US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday after 21 hours of talks with the Iranian delegation in Islamabad. He noted that the US had submitted the last proposal and he hoped that Iran would eventually accept it.
— The bad news is that we haven't reached an agreement. And I think it's bad news for Iran much more than it is for the United States, Vance said during a press conference that lasted several minutes.
“We clearly defined our red lines, what we are willing to accommodate them on and what we are not willing to accommodate them, and we made that as clear as possible, and they chose not to accept our terms,” he added.
The US presented the main demand
Vance noted that the main US demand is that Iran renounces the possibility of possessing nuclear weapons.
— The simple fact is that we need to see a firm commitment that they will not pursue nuclear weapons and will not look for tools that would enable them to obtain them quickly. That is the main goal of the United States and that is what we have tried to achieve through these negotiations, said the US vice president. He noted that so far he has not seen Iran's willingness to completely renounce its nuclear ambitions.
— We leave here with a very simple proposition, a method of understanding that this is our final and best offer. We will see if the Iranians will accept it, he concluded.
Vance admitted that the conversations concerned, among others: unlocking frozen Iranian funds and many other issues, and noted that the American delegation was “quite flexible and understanding.”
— The president told us: “You must come here in good faith and make every effort to reach an agreement.” We did this and unfortunately we failed to make any progress, he said.
Vance did not specify if or when another round of talks is planned. Iranian media earlier reported that the talks were to continue on Sunday. In turn, the New York Times reported that the US vice president left Pakistan.
The Iranian delegation is headed by the Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bager Ghalibaf, and also includes, among others, Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi. In turn, the American delegation consists of Vice President JD Vance, Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the US President's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Saturday marked six weeks since Israel and the US began war against Iran. Two days later, the Israeli military operation began in southern Lebanon, which – as the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declares – is intended to lead to the destruction of the Iranian-financed terrorist group Hezbollah.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Iran and the US agreed to a two-week ceasefire, which resulted in the start of peace talks.
