U.S. and Iran Fail to Reach Agreement as Both Delegations Leave Pakistan

U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance announced on Sunday that marathon negotiations between the United States and Iran in Islamabad had ended without an agreement to end the Middle East war. Vance cited nuclear issues as the core reason for the breakdown, stating he had presented Iran with a "final and best offer" and was now returning to the United States.

The U.S.-Iran talks lasted over 20 hours. As mediator, Pakistan swiftly urged all parties to continue abiding by the two-week ceasefire agreement. However, neither side commented on whether the truce would be extended.

In a brief press conference in Islamabad, Vance said: "We did not reach an agreement; we will return to the United States," adding that he believed this outcome was worse for Iran than for the United States.

Vice President Vance expressed regret that Tehran had failed to make a "firm commitment" to abandon its nuclear weapons program—a key demand put forward by President Trump.

"We left here with a very straightforward proposal—one that represents our final offer and the best we could do," he said, adding, "We’ll see whether the Iranians accept it," before quickly boarding a plane and departing Pakistan.

According to Agence France-Presse, Iran’s state television confirmed the end of the talks and blamed the collapse on the United States’ "unreasonable demands."

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Bahram Ghasemi, stated, "From the beginning, it was clear we shouldn’t expect an agreement after just one round of talks. No one thought that way." He also referred to an atmosphere marked by "suspicion and mistrust."

The Iranian chief negotiator, Speaker Alireza Zakani, said on Sunday that the U.S. had been unable to win Iran’s trust during the negotiations.

The U.S. delegation was accompanied by Vice President J. D. Vance, Trump’s envoy Waltz, and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Iran sent a 70-member team led by influential parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Vice President Vance hinted that he still intended to give Iran some time to consider the American proposal.

"The facts are simple: We need their formal commitment that they will not seek nuclear weapons, nor pursue means that would enable them to rapidly develop such weapons," he said. "The question is straightforward: Have we seen Iran's fundamental pledge not to develop nuclear weapons—not just today, not just in two years, but in the long term? We have not seen that yet. We want to see it."

Although J. D. Vance identified nuclear issues as the central cause of the negotiation failure, he did not explicitly mention the Strait of Hormuz issue during the press briefing.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1862267767213056/

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