21 hours, one ‘final offer’ and then silence: What really happened inside failed US-Iran talks in Islamabad

Why did the talks break down? What happened from US and Iranian delegations arriving in Islamabad to Vance’s announcement.

US-Iran Talks: A 21-hour round of talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad ended without a breakthrough and brought an abrupt close to efforts backed by Pakistan to move the two sides toward a lasting peace.

US Vice President JD Vance announced the outcome early Sunday (April 12) morning after the marathon negotiations at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel. The talks had followed a two-week ceasefire that both countries agreed to earlier.

The talks ended with no agreement and left uncertainty about what comes next.

From arrival to announcement

Iranian and American delegations arrived in Islamabad within hours of each other. Led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian delegation reached Pakistan late Friday (April 10) night. The American side was headed by Vice President Vance who was accompanied by senior officials, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They arrived on Saturday (April 11) morning.

Both delegations first held separate meetings with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Asim Munir. Pakistani officials later said Islamabad would continue its mediation efforts and hoped the talks would move the dispute toward resolution.

Direct talks between the United States and Iran then began at the Serena Hotel. Pakistani officials facilitated initial message exchanges between the two sides before a face-to-face session lasting around two and a half hours. The talks paused briefly, after which technical experts from both sides discussed specific demands and proposals. These exchanges continued late into the night.

The negotiations stretched for more than 21 hours.

Early Sunday morning, Vance addressed reporters. “We made it very clear what our red lines were, what we were willing to negotiate on and what we were not,” he said.

According to him, Iran chose not to accept those conditions.

When asked what demands were rejected, he declined to share details of the closed-door talks but highlighted the core objective.

“Straight up, we want assurances that they are not going to build a nuclear weapon and that they are not going to acquire the equipment necessary to build one,” he said.

Vance added that preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons was the main goal set by President Donald Trump, and Washington had tried to achieve it through negotiations.

He said Iran’s uranium enrichment capability had already been degraded, but the United States had not so far seen a clear willingness from Tehran to commit to never building nuclear weapons.

He also confirmed that Iran’s frozen assets were discussed during negotiations but the talks did not reach a stage where Iran accepted US conditions.

“I think we showed a lot of flexibility. The president told us to go in with good faith and try to reach an agreement. We did that, but unfortunately, we did not make progress,” the vice president said.

He also revealed that he was in contact with President Trump during the negotiations. “We were in constant contact with the president… maybe a dozen times over the last 21 hours,” he said.

He added that communication also continued with CENTCOM Commander Admiral Cooper, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the broader national security team.

Before ending the press conference, Vance said, “We made a simple proposal to reach an understanding. This is our final and best offer. Now we will see whether the Iranians accept it.”

Shortly after the announcement, he left for Rawalpindi’s Nur Khan Airbase and departed for the United States. He was seen off by Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Iran blames US position

Iranian state media presented a different account of why the talks failed. Reports suggested that what Tehran described as unreasonable US demands prevented progress and ultimately ended negotiations.

Iranian officials were said to have made repeated attempts to present proposals and push the talks forward. Reports also suggested that Tehran believed the American demands kept increasing during the negotiations, making it difficult for both sides to reach an understanding.

According to Iranian accounts, the delegation led by Ghalibaf held multiple meetings with Pakistan’s leadership to coordinate arrangements and register concerns early in the process. Technical discussions between experts continued throughout the night, with Iran repeatedly presenting proposals.

However, the talks ended without agreement, and no timeline for the next round of negotiations has been announced.

A kilometre away

While negotiations went on inside the Serena Hotel, journalists from around the world gathered about a kilometre away at Islamabad’s Jinnah Convention Centre.

The Pakistani government arranged transport buses, food and media facilities for reporters covering the talks. Biryani, fried rice, chicken, kebabs and desserts were served as journalists waited for updates.

Despite the preparations, information was scarce. Journalists from different countries exchanged updates and tried to confirm developments, but few officials were available to brief the media.

Slow internet connections made it harder for journalists to stay updated. They spent hours tracking developments while hoping for a breakthrough.

Many had arrived expecting a major diplomatic development, with some describing international attention shifting to Pakistan during the negotiations.

The long wait ended early Sunday morning, when Vance announced that the talks had concluded without an agreement.

The ceasefire still holds for now, but with negotiations ending without progress, the next phase of US-Iran engagement is uncertain.