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U.S. Vice President JD Vance said roughly 21 hours of high-level negotiations with Iranian officials in Islamabad over the weekend ended without an agreement. Vance said the U.S. had made its red lines clear and required an affirmative Iranian commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon or acquire tools that would enable it to quickly achieve one, calling that a core goal of President Donald Trump. He said the U.S. delegation had been "quite flexible" and "quite accommodating" but that Iran chose not to accept U.S. terms, and that Washington had not yet seen a long-term, fundamental commitment by Tehran not to develop nuclear arms. The talks covered tough issues including Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and the release of frozen assets, and proceeded amid concerns about whether a two-week ceasefire can be implemented as Israel's strikes on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and Iran's restrictions on traffic through the Strait raised regional tensions. Iran's foreign ministry said success depends on the other side's seriousness and good faith and urged the U.S. to refrain from "maximalist" demands and respect Iran's rights. The U.S. delegation included Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner; Iran's team included parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.