World
US Vice President JD Vance (right) speaks during a news conference as US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner (left) and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (center) watch, in Islamabad on April 12, 2026. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / Pool / AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that they failed to reach an agreement with Tehran following ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan, as he departed the capital after marathon talks.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America," Vance, head of the US delegation, told reporters before leaving Islamabad after 21 hours of negotiations. "So we go back to the United States, having not come to an agreement. We've made very clear what our red lines are."
Following nearly 40 days of war that began after the US and Israel launched a campaign against Iran on February 28, Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, mediated by Pakistan to open a diplomatic window that could lead to a permanent truce.
High-level talks were held in Islamabad for 21 hours. The US delegation included Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, while Iran’s team was led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Vance said he spoke with US President Donald Trump at least half a dozen times during the talks, adding that one of the most significant points of disagreement was Iran’s nuclear program.
According to Iranian state media, “the unreasonable demands of the American side prevented the progress of the negotiations. Thus, the negotiations ended.” The disagreement in Islamabad centered on the nuclear issue, the Strait of Hormuz, and several other topics, Iranian state media reported.
During the war, Tehran tightened control over the Strait and effectively limited commercial access. The chokepoint handles roughly 20 percent of global seaborne oil trade, and its disruption pushed global oil prices up by 40 to 50 percent.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said that “we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session. No one had such an expectation," according to IRIB, adding that “diplomacy never ends.”
Pakistan’s foreign minister said that “we hope that the two sides continue with the positive spirit to achieve durable peace.” He added that Tehran was "confident that contacts between us and Pakistan, as well as our other friends in the region, will continue".
Earlier, Trump told reporters that “We’re in very deep negotiations with Iran. We win regardless, we have defeated them militarily,” adding that “we will open up the Strait.”
Two US Navy warships transited the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday to “fully clear” it of mines laid by Iran, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
“Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage, and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce,” CENTCOM cited its Commander Brad Cooper as saying in its statement.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment