US and Iran end 21-hour peace talks without agreement before Vance departs
The US delegation left Islamabad after presenting Iran its "final and best offer", with the main sticking point being Tehran’s nuclear programme.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: United States Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday (Apr 11) that negotiations between the US and the Iranians have ended without a deal as the Iranians refused to accept American terms to not develop a nuclear weapon.
The high-stakes talks in Pakistan's capital Islamabad ended after 21 hours, with Vance in constant communication with President Donald Trump and others in the administration.
“But the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance told reporters, adding that the main sticking point was Iran’s nuclear programme.
“That is the core goal of the president of the United States. And that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations."
WINDOW REMAINS OPEN
Vance signalled that he was still giving time to Iran to consider the offer from the US, which on Tuesday said it would pause attacks with Israel for two weeks pending negotiations.
"We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We'll see if the Iranians accept it."
Iran insists it is not pursuing an atomic bomb, and the US and Israel bombed sensitive Iranian sites both in the war launched on Feb 28 as well as last year.
"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?" Vance said.
"We haven't seen that yet. We hope that we will."
In response, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said that excessive demands by the US hindered a common framework and agreement.
"The Iranian delegation negotiated continuously and intensively for 21 hours in order to protect the national interests of the Iranian people; despite various initiatives from the Iranian delegation, the unreasonable demands of the American side prevented the progress of the negotiations," state broadcaster IRIB added on Telegram.
"Thus the negotiations ended."
Vance also said he spoke with Trump “a half dozen times, a dozen times, over the past 21 hours” as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the United States Central Command.
"We were constantly in communication with the team because we were negotiating in good faith."
Vance led the US delegation, while parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf led the Iranian delegation.
Vance boarded Air Force Two at 7.08am local time (10.08am Singapore time) and waved to Pakistani officials from the top of the stairs, before departing.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app