Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad Saturday morning to lead the American delegation in the highest-level direct negotiations between the United States and Iran in nearly five decades — and left without a deal.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” Vance said in brief remarks following the conclusion of the talks. “And I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America. So we go back to the United States, having not come to an agreement.”
Vance said the U.S. departed Islamabad without reaching an agreement after the sides held talks for 21 hours. Iran’s government confirmed the result in a post on X. In the post, Iran’s government said, “Negotiations will continue despite some remaining differences.” An Iranian state TV reporter said the talks would continue on Sunday.
The tri-lateral talks, the first face-to-face meeting since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, were mediated by Pakistan. Negotiators focused on key points including Tehran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, Israel’s ongoing conflict with Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
A stalemate persists over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway where the U.S. said it began mine-clearing operations on Saturday. Pakistani sources said the discussions were positive overall, but a stalemate on the strait persisted.
Vance was joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner. The Iranian delegation was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
“Our experience in negotiating with the Americans has always been met with failure and broken promises,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said shortly after landing in Pakistan.
The Iranian delegation arrived dressed in black in mourning for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and others killed in the war. They carried shoes and bags belonging to students killed during the U.S. military campaign.
Face-to-face discussions between the two sides began in Islamabad on Saturday afternoon, following bilateral meetings each delegation held separately with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The high-stakes negotiations, which involved three rounds of discussions, had been expected to last for just one day.
Vance said after the talks that the U.S. needs a commitment that Iran would not seek to develop a nuclear weapon.
“We haven’t seen that yet. We hope that we will,” Vance said, referring to a U.S. demand for a commitment that Iran would not seek to develop a nuclear weapon.
Iran presented negotiators with four conditions described as non-negotiable, including full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, complete war reparations, unconditional release of blocked assets and a durable ceasefire across the broader West Asia region.
Before departing for Pakistan, Vance signaled both optimism and wariness. He said he expected a positive outcome but added: “If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
Trump said Friday that the main objective to end the war was to prevent Iran from having any nuclear capabilities. “No nuclear weapon. That’s 99% percent of it,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Maryland.
Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the most direct U.S. contact had been in 2013 when then-President Barack Obama called newly elected President Hassan Rouhani to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. The most recent highest-level meetings were between Secretary of State John Kerry and counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif during negotiations over the program.
Saturday’s meeting in Islamabad was the culmination of weeks of frantic diplomacy by Pakistan’s leaders, who pitched the city as the venue for talks even before they took the lead as a key mediator that both the U.S. and Iran credited for helping broker a two-week ceasefire.
U.S. Central Command said two U.S. Navy destroyer ships “conducted operations” in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, beginning efforts to clear mines from the waterway. The strategic shipping waterway has been sealed since the war began, snarling global supply chains amid rising oil and gas prices.
Iranian state media reported significant challenges remained as the first round wrapped. Tasnim News Agency said, “Considering the US’s excessive demands, it seems that this is the Iranian team’s last chance to reach a common framework in this round of talks.”
Talks are expected to resume on Sunday. The outcome will carry significant implications for regional stability, global energy markets and the fragile ceasefire that has halted direct U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran since Tuesday. A reporter asked the Vice President if are “going back to war>” Vance exited without answering.
This is a developing story.
