US vice-president JD Vance has blamed the collapse of marathon negotiations with Iran on Tehran’s refusal to give up its nuclear weapons programme, as Iranian sources pushed back and accused Washington of making “excessive” demands.
Vance left Islamabad on Sunday morning after 21 hours of talks with Iranian officials in the Pakistani capital. The discussions were aimed at resolving the US-Iran conflict, but they ended without a deal and with hopes fading for a quick breakthrough.
According to Vance, his team had been explicit about its red lines throughout the negotiations. He said the failure rested with Iran’s unwillingness to abandon its nuclear programme, a position that remained at the centre of the dispute as the talks broke down.
Iranian sources, however, offered a different account. They said the negotiations had faltered because of what they described as excessive pressure from Washington. The competing versions underline how far apart the two sides remained after the latest round of diplomacy.
The talks in Islamabad were part of efforts to end the conflict that began on 28 February. After a long session that stretched through the night, the failure to reach agreement left the wider crisis unresolved and raised fresh doubts about the prospects for a near-term settlement.
Vance’s departure from Islamabad marked the end of what had been billed as an intensive diplomatic push. But with both sides blaming the other for the breakdown, the negotiations appeared to have made little visible progress despite their length and urgency.
The latest round of discussions now leaves the US and Iran still at odds over the same core issue: whether Iran is prepared to scale back or abandon its nuclear programme. For now, neither side appears willing to move from its position.
