U.S.–Iran Talks Collapse amid Deep Divide over Explicit Nuclear Renunciation [First U.S.–Iran Negotiations End without Deal]

The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran held face-to-face peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, 43 days after the war broke out, but failed to reach an agreement despite 21 hours of marathon negotiations. Each side delivered demands framed as final “red lines” to the other, pressing for acceptance. The two countries are expected to use diplomatic channels over the remaining two weeks of a precarious ceasefire to try to adjust their positions, but the outlook remains uncertain.
Leading the U.S. delegation, Vice President James David Vance (JD Vance) said on the 12th, immediately after the talks that began the previous day ended, "We need an explicit commitment that Iran will not pursue nuclear weapons," adding, "This is the president’s core objective and the essence of these negotiations."
He stated, "We have presented our final and best offer to the Iranian side," and warned that Washington would now watch to see whether Tehran accepts it. Vance declined to answer questions about the Strait of Hormuz. After the press conference, he left Pakistan to return to the United States.
Before the ceasefire talks, the Iranian delegation also met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and laid out clear "red lines." They insisted that four points must be guaranteed: recognition of Iran’s right to control the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, the release of frozen Iranian assets overseas, and a halt to hostilities across the Middle East.
Immediately after the meeting, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that the talks had failed because the parties could not reach agreement on two or three issues. Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei Hamaneh said that while some matters had been resolved, there was no breakthrough on others, including the Strait of Hormuz. He added in an official statement that, given it was only a single round of lengthy talks with the United States, a comprehensive agreement had never been a realistic expectation.
Although Iranian state media reported that there were no plans for further negotiations, Baghaei Hamaneh remarked that "diplomacy never ends." Expressing optimism that contacts with the United States, Pakistan and regional partners would continue, he said, "We will keep working until the gap between the positions of Iran and the United States is narrowed."
Meanwhile, the United States Armed Forces dispatched destroyers to the Strait of Hormuz to begin mine-clearance operations as talks with Iran got under way. United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said that two guided-missile destroyers had transited the Strait of Hormuz and that it had "begun setting conditions for mine clearance." In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on the 12th that "any warship attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz will face a strong response," declaring that it would not allow U.S. mine-clearance activities in the area and raising fears of future clashes.
jjyoon@fnnews.com Yoon Jae-joon Reporter