US Vice President JD Vance Blames Iran’s Nuclear Stance for Collapse of Islamabad Talks

The United States’ senior envoy, Vice President JD Vance, said the marathon talks in Islamabad collapsed because Iran would not abandon its nuclear weapons programme, a stance Tehran’s representatives dismissed as a lack of US goodwill.

Vance, who departed Islamabad on Sunday after a 21‑hour session with Iranian officials, reiterated that Washington’s red lines required an "affirmative commitment" from Tehran that it would not pursue a nuclear weapon or the means to acquire one quickly. He described the stalemate as "bad news for Iran much more than it is for the United States."

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf countered that, despite offering "constructive initiatives," the US failed to win the trust of the Iranian delegation, leaving it to Washington to decide whether it can regain that confidence.

Iran’s foreign ministry downplayed expectations, stating that no one anticipated a deal in a single session and emphasizing continued regional contacts, while the semi‑official Tasnim news agency blamed "excessive" US demands for the impasse.

The talks took place under a 14‑day ceasefire agreed by the US, Iran and Israel, with Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar urging both sides to honour the pause and offering to facilitate renewed dialogue.

The conflict, which began on 28 February, has already claimed over 3,000 lives in Iran, more than 2,000 in Lebanon, and dozens across the Gulf region, while inflicting extensive infrastructure damage.

Israeli security cabinet minister Ze’ev Elkin warned that Iran is "playing with fire," even as he left the door open for further negotiations.

These were the first direct US‑Iran talks in more than a decade and could determine the fate of the fragile ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz—a chokepoint for roughly 20 % of global energy supplies. The war has already sent international oil prices soaring.

In addition to Vance, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and former President Trump’s son‑in‑law Jared Kushner met with Ghalibaf and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi for two hours before a brief recess.

The Iranian delegation arrived in black mourning attire for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and carried shoes and bags belonging to children killed in a school bombing near a military compound—a strike the Pentagon says is under investigation, with some reports suggesting US involvement.

Pakistani security forces sealed off Islamabad, a city of over two million, underscoring Pakistan’s newly prominent mediating role after a year of diplomatic isolation.

The US military announced it was "setting conditions" to clear mines and allow warships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a claim Iran’s state media denied.

Prior to the talks, a senior Iranian source told Reuters that the US had agreed to release frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar and other banks, a statement the US later denied.

Tehran’s broader demands include control over the strait, payment of war reparations, a region‑wide ceasefire—including in Lebanon—and the collection of transit fees from shipping traffic.

President Trump’s minimum objectives remain the free passage of global shipping through the strait and the crippling of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capability to prevent the development of an atomic bomb.