US, Iran fail to reach agreement after talks in Pakistan

US Vice President J.D. Vance said the US and Iran failed to reach an agreement to end the Middle East conflict after prolonged talks in Pakistan.

At a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday, Vance said negotiations collapsed after Iran refused to accept Washington’s conditions, adding that the US delegation is set to leave Pakistan.

"Substantive discussions have been ongoing with Iran for 21 hours," Vance said, adding that the outcome is more unfavorable for Iran than for the US.

Iranian negotiators rejected what Washington described as very flexible terms, the US official said.

“We were negotiating in good faith,” Vance said. “We did that, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to make any headway.”

“And 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,” he noted.

Vance said after the talks that the US needs a commitment that Iran would not seek to develop a nuclear weapon. “We haven’t seen that yet. We hope that we will,” he said.

The vice president said he and the US delegation were in “constant communication” with Trump throughout the 21 hours of peace talks. Vance told reporters that the president urged him to have “good faith” and “make your best effort to get a deal.”

What does this mean?

Vance's statements raise questions about the future of the conflict and the prospects for a ceasefire, particularly as Iran has not committed to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which could prolong disruptions to global energy supplies.

However, Vance did not clarify what will happen next following the failure of the Islamabad talks. He indicated that Iran may return to accept the US’ final and best offer, but did not point to any future negotiations.