The first face-to-face negotiations between the United States and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ended without agreement on Saturday after a marathon 21-hour session in Islamabad.
Why it matters: The collapse threatens the fragile two-week ceasefire brokered on 7 April and leaves unresolved the questions driving the six-week conflict: Iran’s nuclear ambitions, control of the Strait of Hormuz, and Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
The sticking point
Vice President JD Vance told reporters the central obstacle was nuclear. “We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon — not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term,” Vance said. “We haven’t seen that yet.”
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said “excessive demands by America” had prevented any agreement. Tehran has maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.
What was on the table
The US delegation, which included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, sought commitments on three fronts: a permanent end to Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions, the unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a mechanism to address Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Iran’s delegation of more than 70 officials, led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, pushed for the US to restrain Israel and lift sanctions before making nuclear commitments.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who hosted the talks, had described the meeting as a “make-or-break moment.”
What happens next
Vance departed Islamabad immediately after a four-minute press conference, but left the door open. He described the American proposal as “a final and best offer” and said it remained on the table.
The two-week ceasefire expires on 21 April. Without a broader agreement, the pause in hostilities may not hold. Oil markets, which had stabilised after the ceasefire announcement sent crude down 8%, are expected to react when trading resumes on Monday.