After 21 hours of marathon negotiations, CNN observes that the outcome of the war in the Middle East remains uncertain. American Vice President J.D. Vance, who traveled to Islamabad, Pakistan over the weekend to hold talks with Tehran, announced on Sunday, April 12 that the United States and Iran had failed to reach an agreement to end the conflict.
“We are returning to the United States without reaching an agreement,” declared the Republican during a brief press conference in the Pakistani capital, where Americans and Iranians had been negotiating since Saturday with the help of Pakistan. Vice President Vance particularly lamented the lack of a firm commitment from Tehran to abandon its nuclear weapons program, a requirement of President Donald Trump since the outbreak of the war on February 28 that has resulted in thousands of deaths and shaken the global economy.
“We are leaving here with a very simple proposal, an approach that is our final and best offer. We will see if the Iranians accept it,” he added before boarding his plane and leaving Pakistan.
However, Tehran confirmed the end of the discussions, attributing their failure to Washington’s “unreasonable demands,” according to Iranian state television.
“It was unlikely that Vice President Vance would achieve an agreement in just one negotiation session,” analyzed one of the correspondents of the New York Times at the White House, David Sanger. He noted that the 2015 agreement with Iran took nearly two years of discussions and highlighted the complexity of the current situation, with both countries de facto at war, suggesting that prolonged negotiations are expected.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, assured on Sunday that “no one expected” the United States and Iran to reach an agreement in the first round of negotiations. He expressed confidence that contacts with Pakistan and other friends in the region will continue.
“While discussions did not result in a major diplomatic breakthrough, the meeting between the Iranian parliamentary leader and the American Vice President is exceptional given the longtime hostility between the two countries,” noted the New York Times, recalling the recent airstrikes by the U.S. and Israel that killed the Iranian supreme leader.
While Vance discussed the negotiation deadlock in Islamabad, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were in Miami attending UFC 327, a combat sports event, according to Fox News. Trump had previously downplayed the peace talks with Iran, saying the U.S. had already “won the war” regardless of any agreement.
Regarding uncertainties about the ceasefire and the Strait of Hormuz, Axios pointed out that the negotiations’ impasse now leaves the two-week ceasefire agreement from the previous week in limbo, raising the risk of a resumption and escalation of fighting.
Islamabad urged the U.S. and Iran to continue respecting the ceasefire despite the negotiation failure. The Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, emphasized Pakistan’s role in facilitating dialogue between Iran and the U.S.
Earlier on Saturday, as negotiations were ongoing, the U.S. Navy announced that two destroyers had crossed the Strait of Hormuz in a mine-clearing operation. President Trump commented, “We are sweeping the strait,” to the press.
The Revolutionary Guards warned on Sunday that they would take “serious action” against military vessels passing through the strait. An unnamed Iranian official reportedly stated that Tehran plans to disrupt ship passage through the strait until receiving an acceptable offer from the U.S., asserting that “Iran is in no rush.”
[Context: The news articles discuss the failed negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, the uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East, and the potential implications on the ceasefire and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.]
[Fact check: The content accurately reflects the diplomatic interactions and statements made by various officials during the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.]
