The historic 21-hour peace talk between the United States and Iran concluded in Islamabad, Pakistan, without a final agreement, leaving the future of the fragile two-week ceasefire hanging in the balance. Vice President JD Vance gave an update on the marathon session, mentioning progress in dialogue and more.
JD Vance talks about how Iran peace talks went
Speaking at a press conference following the marathon session, JD Vance said discussions were “substantive” but did not yield a deal. “We have been at it now for 21 hours. We’ve had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians, that’s the good news,” Vance stated. “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.” The talks, held April 11-12, represented the first such engagement between the two nations since 1979.
The U.S. delegation, which included special envoy Steve Witkoff and White House advisor Jared Kushner, presented what Vance called a “final and best offer.” Iran did not accept it. Vance pointed to Iran’s nuclear programme as the primary sticking point in the peace talks. “The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that will enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” he said, reiterating Donald Trump’s core objective.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghaliba responded by stating that the success of the “diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and goodwill of the other side, and refraining from excessive and illegal demands.” Iran entered negotiations with a 10-point plan that included calls for U.S. troop withdrawal from West Asia and sanctions relief (via The Pioneer).
Vance concluded with, “We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that this is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.” Pakistan hosted and brokered the talks following an appeal by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
