“I think this is bad news for Iran,” said Vice President J.D. Vance. “It was obvious that we should not expect to reach an agreement in a single negotiation session,” tempered the Iranian regime.
The two enemies did not find common ground. After agreeing to a two-week ceasefire, the United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement to end the war in the Middle East, following negotiations that lasted twenty-one hours in Pakistan, announced Vice President J.D. Vance on Sunday, April 12th in the early hours. J.D. Vance returns to the United States after making, according to him, a “final and best possible” offer to Iran.
“I think this is much worse news for Iran than it is for the United States of America,” estimated the one who was appointed by Donald Trump to lead these negotiations during a brief press conference in Islamabad. Franceinfo revisits these unprecedented discussions, which stalled on “two or three key issues,” according to Tehran.
A historic meeting and lengthy talks
These discussions, under the auspices of Pakistan in Islamabad, were themselves an event: Americans and Iranians had never negotiated at such a high level since the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the shah’s regime in 1979. “This shows the willingness of both parties to end this war,” estimated Vali Nasr in the New York Times, a professor and Iran specialist at Johns Hopkins University.
As the American side, J.D. Vance was accompanied by Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special commissioner, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law. The Iranian delegation was led by its influential President of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He was accompanied by the Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, and a team of about 70 people.
The Iranian state television reported two negotiating sessions on Saturday, followed by another in the evening, according to information provided by the White House. According to the New York Times and the Washington Post, the discussions continued overnight before ending Sunday morning.
The U.S. regrets the absence of a “firm commitment” on nuclear issues
One of the reasons cited by Donald Trump to justify the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28th is that Tehran must abandon its nuclear weapons program. However, J.D. Vance criticized on Sunday the lack of a “firm commitment” from the Islamic Republic on this matter during the discussions.
“We need a formal commitment from them, pledging not to seek nuclear weapons and not to seek the means to manufacture them quickly.”
J.D. Vance, Vice President of the United Statesduring a press conference, Sunday
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Iran denounces “unreasonable demands”
On the other hand, Iran claims that Americans bear the responsibility for the failure of the negotiations. At the end of the talks, the state television pointed out on Telegram the “unreasonable demands” of the United States. They “failed” to gain the trust of the Iranians during the negotiations, added the President of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The spokesman for Iranian diplomacy, Esmaeil Baqaei, also denounced on state television “an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust.” He also mentioned “the complexity of the problems and conditions surrounding the negotiations,” stating that disagreements centered on “two or three key issues.”
“During this round, new subjects were added, including the issue of the Strait of Hormuz and regional files, each with its own specific conditions and considerations.”
Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman of Iranian diplomacyon Iranian state television
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The continuation of the ceasefire and pending talks
Pakistan quickly called for the two-week ceasefire, effective Tuesday and supposed to last until April 22nd, to be observed. Neither the American side nor the Iranian side has commented on the continuation or not of the ceasefire, the first in the war triggered on February 28th by the American-Israeli offensive.
The door remains open for a resumption of discussions. “Our contacts with Pakistan, as well as our other friends in the region, will continue,” the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. Islamabad echoes the sentiment. In a statement, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs promised to “continue to play its role in facilitating engagement and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the coming days.”
Just before boarding his plane, J.D. Vance affirmed that the Iranians had a “very simple proposition. (…) We will see if they accept it.” He assures that it is the “final and best possible” offer from the United States. Donald Trump has not yet commented after the failure of the negotiations. “We win anyway, we have defeated them militarily,” he declared on Saturday. “Let’s see what happens. But from my point of view, I don’t care.”
