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Investing.com — High-stakes peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran have broken down in Islamabad after a 21-hour marathon session failed to produce a long-term nuclear commitment from Tehran.
Vice President JD Vance announced early Sunday morning that he is departing Pakistan without an agreement, citing Iran’s refusal to guarantee it will not develop nuclear weapons in the future.
“Despite various initiatives from the Iranian delegation, the unreasonable demands of the American side prevented the progress of the negotiations. Thus, the negotiations ended,” IRIB said on Telegram.
The collapse of the talks, reported by the Wall Street Journal, places the current fragile two-week ceasefire under immediate threat.
Nuclear guarantees remain the “red line”
The primary obstacle to a deal was Washington’s demand for a permanent renunciation of nuclear ambitions. The U.S. continues to assert that Iran’s current nuclear infrastructure has been dismantled by the recent strikes.
Vance emphasized that a “fundamental commitment of will” for the long term was missing from the Iranian delegation, which was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
“The simple question is, do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon, not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term?” Vance stated during a press conference in Islamabad. “We haven’t seen that yet.”
He confirmed that the U.S. team is returning home, stating bluntly, “They have chosen not to accept our terms.”
Trump signals “win” as military readiness ramps up
As the diplomatic channel closed, President Trump played down the significance of the breakdown, asserting that the U.S. holds the strategic upper hand. “Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me,” Trump said, adding, “And the reason is because we’ve won.”
Despite the positive rhetoric, the administration is preparing for a potential return to hostilities. Trump noted that the U.S. is currently “loading up ships” with ammunition and weaponry in the event the ceasefire collapses entirely.
The naval theater remains a flashpoint. While the U.S. confirmed that two destroyers successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the first such move since the war began, the IRGC Navy has publicly denied the transit occurred.
Iranian officials warned that any attempt to challenge their control of the waterway would be met with a “firm and forceful response.”
The exit of the U.S. delegation without a “Safe Passage” agreement for energy exports suggests that the Hormuz blockade and its associated “war premium” on oil and shipping are likely to persist.
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