JD Vance has said that no agreement has been made with Iran after 21 hours of negotiations, citing their nuclear ambitions as a key blocker for peace.
Talks between the US and Iran took place in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, over the weekend, with the vice president leading the US delegation.
“The bad news is we have not reached an agreement,” Vance told reporters.
Reports from inside the peace talks suggest the status of the strait remains a key point of contention, though Vance suggested it surrounded a nuclear enrichment agreement.
According to sources, there were several “disagreements” between the Iranian and American delegations during the talks and Iranian media noted “excessive demands” and “overreach” from Washington.
But Vance said the main sticking point was that the US haven’t seen a “fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon”.
He added: “That is the core goal of the President of the United States, and that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Donald Trump claimed military victory against Iran and downplayed the importance of ongoing ceasefire negotiations, claiming “regardless of what happens, we win”.
“Let’s see what happens – maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t,” the president said. “It doesn’t matter. From the standpoint of America, we win.”
Vance confirmed that he will now travel back to the US.
He added: “We go back to the United States having not come to an agreement.
“We’ve made very clear what our red lines are, what things we’re willing to accommodate them on and what things we’re not willing to accommodate them on.
“And we’ve made clear as we possibly could. And they have chosen not to accept our terms.”
After agreeing to a shaky ceasefire on Tuesday, Iran and the US were seeking to come up with a permanent end to the war.
The two sides face significant obstacles as they remain far apart on key issues.
