The Iranian and American delegations parted ways on Sunday, April 12th in Islamabad without being able to reach a peace agreement. According to Washington, the discussions failed due to disagreements over the issue of nuclear weapons.
Hours and hours of negotiations led to a deadlock. A few days after the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and the United States, the meeting in Islamabad between the two delegations did not result in an agreement between the two countries.
“We are returning to the United States without reaching an agreement,” summarized Vice President JD Vance during a press conference before leaving the Pakistani capital. “I think this is bad news for Iran much more than it is for the United States of America.”
Facing journalists, JD Vance, the chief negotiator of the American delegation, attributed the failure of the talks to the lack of a “firm commitment” regarding Iran’s nuclear weapons program, a key demand of Donald Trump since the conflict began on February 28th.
“The fact is simply that we need a formal commitment from them, that they will not seek to acquire a nuclear weapon and that they will not seek to acquire the means to make one quickly,” stated the American Vice President.
On the Iranian side, the state-owned television (Irib) pointed out “unreasonable demands” from the Americans but did not specify what these demands were.
The American and Iranian delegations hinted that the Islamabad meeting did not mark the end of negotiations. JD Vance suggested that he was leaving Pakistan, giving the Iranians time to consider “a very simple proposal,” “a final offer” which is “the best we can do.”
The uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a highly strategic waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil transits, remained a topic of discussion between the negotiators of both countries, according to the Iranian diplomacy.
Without an agreement between Washington and Tehran, are we to expect a resumption of hostilities between the two belligerents, even before the end of the 15-day ceasefire? Pakistan called on the two countries not to resort to arms again.
“It is imperative that the parties continue to honor their commitment to the ceasefire,” declared Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, stating that his country “has played and will continue to play its role in facilitating dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come.”
