U.S. And Iran End 21-Hour Ceasefire Talks Without Agreement Before Vance Departs Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and Iran ended historic face-to-face talks early Sunday without reaching an agreement, with the fate of a fragile two-week ceasefire still unclear.

Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation in the 21-hour talks in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, said the negotiations were completed without a deal after the Iranians refused to accept America’s conditions to refrain from developing nuclear weapons.

There has been no comment yet from the Iranian delegation or Pakistani mediators.

Discussions began on Saturday, just days after a fragile ceasefire was declared. war Killed thousands of people and shook global markets has entered its seventh week.

Vance said he remained in constant contact with U.S. President Donald Trump and others in the administration during the negotiations.

“But the simple fact is that we need to see a positive commitment that they will not seek nuclear weapons and will not seek the means to quickly obtain nuclear weapons,” Vance told reporters. “This is the fundamental goal of the president of the United States. That’s what we tried to achieve through these negotiations.”

The vice president said he had spoken to Trump “a half-dozen times, a dozen times in the last 21 hours” and also spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command.

“We were in constant communication with the team because we were negotiating in good faith,” Vance said at the podium in front of a pair of American flags flanked by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “And we’re leaving here, and we’re leaving here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding, which is our last and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.”

Two Pakistani officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the press, said that the third round of talks between the heads of delegations was over and that the talks would continue after the break.

Speaking to the press later, the US vice president announced that there was no agreement and went to the airport to leave Pakistan.

Trump said he would suspend attacks against Iran for two weeks. Vance’s comments did not indicate what would happen after that period expires or whether the ceasefire would continue.

US military says two destroyers passed through Iran-captured area Strait of Hormuz Before the mine clearing operations, a first since the start of the war. But Iranian state media said the joint military command rejected this.

As the talks continued and the clock approached 2 a.m. in Islamabad, Trump told reporters: “We are sweeping the Strait. It doesn’t matter to me whether we make a deal or not.” He said the negotiations were “very deep.” Iranian state television noted what it called “serious” differences.

US delegation headed by vance and the Iranian government led by the Speaker of the Parliament Muhammad Bagher Qalibaf They discussed how to advance the ceasefire, which is already threatened by deep disagreements with Pakistan and ongoing Israeli attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah. LebanonThe health ministry announced that the death toll exceeded 2,000.

The United States’ most direct contact since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 occurred in 2013, when President Barack Obama called newly elected President Hassan Rouhani to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. Obama’s secretary of state, John Kerry, and his counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, later met during negotiations for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal; This process took more than a year.

Vance was now involved in much broader negotiations. reluctant defender Qalibaf, the former commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, who had little diplomatic experience and was responsible for the war, warning Iran not to “try to play with us” and issuing some of Iran’s most fiery statements since the war began.

Iran’s state news agency said the trilateral talks began after Iran’s preconditions were met, including reducing Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon.

The Iranian delegation told state television that it presented “red lines” in talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, including compensation for damage caused by US-Israeli attacks that started the war on February 28 and the release of Iran’s frozen assets.

The war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 2,020 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab countries, and caused lasting damage to the infrastructure of half a dozen Middle Eastern countries. Iran’s dominance of the Strait of Hormuz has largely cut off the Persian Gulf and its oil and gas exports from the global economy. causes energy prices to rise.

Reflecting the high stakes, officials from the region said Chinese, Egyptian, Saudi and Qatari officials were in Islamabad to indirectly facilitate the talks. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.

In Tehran, residents told The Associated Press they were skeptical but hopeful after weeks of air strikes wiped out nearly 93 million people in their country.

62-year-old Amir Razzai Far said, “Peace alone is not enough for our country because we have suffered very heavy blows and huge costs have been incurred.”

In his most powerful words yet, Pope Leo XIV condemned the “delusion of omnipotence” that fuels war.

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz proved its greatest strategic advantage in the war. About one-fifth of the oil traded in the world passed through more than 100 ships a day, often. It has been recorded that only 12 people have crossed since the ceasefire.

On Saturday, Trump said on social media that the United States had begun “clearing” the throat.

Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said later: “Today we began the process of creating a new passage and will share this safe path with the maritime industry soon.” The US statement regarding the destroyers stated: “In the coming days, additional US forces, including underwater unmanned aerial vehicles, will participate in the clearance efforts.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran entered the negotiations with “deep distrust”. strikes In previous talks about Iran. Araghchi, who was part of Iran’s delegation to Pakistan, said on Saturday that his country was ready to retaliate if attacked again.

The 10-point proposal submitted by Iran before the negotiations called for a guaranteed end to the war and demanded control of the Strait of Hormuz. This involved “ending the fight against regional allies” of Iran and explicitly called for a halt to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah.

The US’s 15-item proposal includes restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the strait.

Israel continued attacks in Lebanon He says there is no ceasefire there. Iran and Pakistan do not agree.

In the statement made by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office, it was stated that negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to start in Washington on Tuesday. Surprise announcement allowing meetings Even though the countries do not have official relations.

But as thousands of people protested the planned talks in Lebanon on Saturday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he was postponing a planned trip to Washington “in light of the current domestic conditions.” His absence should not affect the talks, as the first round is expected to be at the ambassadorial level.

Israel wants the Lebanese government to take responsibility for disarming Hezbollah, just as stipulated in an agreement. November 2024 ceasefire. But the militant group has survived decades of efforts to reduce its power.

Hezbollah joined the war in support of Iran in its opening days. Israel followed up with airstrikes land invasion.

Israel on the day the Iran ceasefire agreement was announced Hit Beirut with air strikesMore than 300 people were killed in Lebanon in the deadliest day since the war began, according to the country’s Ministry of Health.

Castillo reported from Beijing, Finley and Binkley from Washington. Josh Boak in Washington, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Cara Anna in Lowville, New York, and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.