Vice President JD Vance gives a thumb up sign as he boards Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, April 12, 2026.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
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Jacquelyn Martin/AP
ISLAMABAD – The United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement after a day of highly anticipated face-to-face peace talks, Washington’s lead negotiator Vice President J.D. Vance announced on Sunday.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. And I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the U.S…. they have chosen not to accept our terms,” Vance said at a press conference in Islamabad, before boarding Airforce Two to leave the country.
Asked what the major sticking point had been that led to the breakdown in negotiations, Vance said: “The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon.”
For its part, Iran said the two sides had “reached an understanding on a number of issues, but ultimately the talks did not lead to an agreement.”
Tehran has repeatedly said that its nuclear program is a civilian one, and that it has a right to continue to enrich uranium for that purpose.
The status of the 2-week ceasefire is now uncertain, however Vance left open the possibility an agreement could still be reached, saying: “We leave here with a very simple proposal: a method of understanding that is our final and best offer.” He added, “We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.”
After negotiations broke down, Pakistan, which has become a key mediator in the war and hosted the talks, said Sunday it would continue to play a role in peace efforts. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged both sides to continue to uphold the ceasefire.
The talks — which lasted for 21 hours — began in Islamabad on Saturday as the two sides looked to reach a deal to end the war that has shaken the Middle East for six weeks.
It was the first face-to-face engagement between the U.S. and Iran since 2015, when the Obama administration negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran that was later scrapped by Trump. They were also the highest-level discussions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Silence from Trump
So far President Trump hasn’t commented on the failure of the talks, despite posting in recent hours on his Truth Social platform about other issues. He spent Saturday night with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a UFC fight in Miami.
However earlier on Saturday, Trump said “We win, regardless” of the outcome of negotiations, adding, “we’ve totally defeated that country.”
Vance said in his press conference that he’d been in touch with the president “consistently” while in Islamabad.
Iran cites ‘excessive demands’
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said in a post on X and in a statement to Iranian state media that the main subjects of talks were the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear issues, sanctions, reparations, and an end to the war against Iran and the region.
He added that issues, such as Iran’s demand that it continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, added complexities to the talks and that “we should not have expected to reach an agreement in one meeting from the beginning.
A billboard of the U.S. Iran talks is seen near Serena Hotel, the venue for the U.S. Iran officials meeting, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, April 12, 2026.
Anjum Naveed/AP
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Anjum Naveed/AP
However, he also criticized the U.S., saying: “the success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands.”
Under its multi-point negotiation plan, Tehran had demanded an end to Israel’s attacks against Hezbollah as part of any permanent agreement. Other demands from the Iranian delegation included the release of $6 billion in frozen assets, guarantees around its nuclear program and the right to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite the failure of the talks to produce a deal, some analysts noted the optics of the meeting between the Iranians and Americans were still striking, coming just weeks after the U.S. and Israel launched the attack that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader.
The Iranian delegation had posted photographs of a row of empty seats on the plane en route to Islamabad, on which photos and bloodied belongings of school children killed in a U.S. missile strike had been placed.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues
Israel’s refusal to stop fighting in Lebanon and abide by the ceasefire with Iran has threatened the truce. Iran threatened quote “strong responses” and President Trump said Israel would reduce its attacks in Lebanon. But attacks continue.
Israel’s military says this weekend it struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets, and Hezbollah said it continued rocket, drone and artillery attacks on Israel and Israeli troops inside Lebanon.
Lebanon says the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington will hold their first direct meeting Tuesday at the State Department to discuss a ceasefire and a date for starting negotiations.
In a speech Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed historic accomplishments in Iran and Lebanon – and that his goal in talks is to disarm Hezbollah and reach a peace agreement with Lebanon.
A woman mourns on the grave of her husband during the funeral of 13 state security officers killed the previous day in an Israeli strike in Lebanon’s coastal city of Sidon, Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Emilio Morenatti/AP
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Emilio Morenatti/AP
In a post for Orthodox Easter on Sunday, Lebanon’s Prime Minister said he hoped the country would “together overcome the dangers facing us, and so that stability, peace, and prosperity may prevail throughout Lebanon.”
U.S. warships pass through Strait of Hormuz
The talks came as two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, a U.S. official told NPR, marking the first transit of American warships since the start of the Iran war six weeks ago.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had begun setting conditions to clear Iranian sea mines planted throughout the waterway to “encourage the free flow of commerce.”
Betsy Joles in Islamabad, D Parvaz in Van, Turkey, Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to reporting.
