Vance and co to leave Pakistan without Iran deal: 'Final offer' presented, nuclear deadlock continues

US Vide President JD Vance on Sunday (Apr 12), after 15-hour marathon talks with Iranian delegation, addressed the media in Pakistan's Islamabad and informed that no agreement has been reached. He said that the United States delegation led by him is leaving talks in Islamabad without an agreement, and blamed Iran for rejecting key terms. He said Washington has not seen sufficient willingness from Tehran to halt uranium enrichment and is seeking affirmative assurances that Iran will not pursue nuclear weapons. Vance also added that the US had remained flexible throughout the discussions and has now presented, what he described as a final proposal.

This comes after Iran Foreign Ministry said that diplomacy remained central to its strategy as it concluded intensive negotiations in Islamabad. The ministry said talks with United States covered key issues including the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear matters, sanctions relief, and war-related grievances. It stressed that Iran is determined to defend its national interests and historical rights while continuing diplomacy. It also insisted progress depends on the other side’s seriousness, good faith, and acceptance of Iran’s legitimate concerns and demands.

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What JD Vance said?

Holding a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, after trilateral in-person talks between the US and Iran in presence of Pakistan, Vance said, “We were quite accommodating. The president told us, ‘You need to come here in good faith and make your best effort to get a deal.’ We did that, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to make make any headway." Vance suggested the primary sticking point was Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear program. “We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer,” he said. “We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.”

“The simple fact is 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,” he said when asked about sticking points of the deal.

Vance also added that he spoke with President Donald Trump “consistently” during trilateral talks with Iran in Pakistan. He added that he was in touch with other top US officials throughout the negotiations, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command. “Obviously, we were talking to the president consistently. I don’t know how many times we talked to him, a half-dozen times, a dozen times over the past 21 hours,” Vance told reporters in Islamabad. “We were constantly in communication with the team because we were negotiating in good faith,” Vance added.

Also Read: Iran-US negotiation pause in Islamabad after 15-hour marathon talks, to continue on Sunday amid disagreements

How Iran reacted to Vance's comment?

Iran's Tasnim News Agency said, in its government first reaction to Vances remark, “Negotiations between the Iranian and American teams ended a few minutes ago, and the two sides have not yet reached an agreement due to America's excesses and ambitions." Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry in a statement said, “We have not forgotten and will not forget the experiences of America's breaches of promise and malicious acts. Just as we will not forgive the heinous crimes committed by them and the Zionist regime during the course of the second and third imposed wars.” Iran confirmed that discussions were held on the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, lifting of sanctions, and the complete end to the war against Iran and in the region. Iran also said that the success of this diplomatic process depends on the “seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran's legitimate rights and interests.”

What Trump said ahead of Vance's statement?

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday (Apr 11), while leaving to Florida, that he was not bothered about the outcome of US-Iran talks in Pakistan, insisting the United States had come out ahead from the war. “Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me. The reason is because we've won…We're in very deep negotiations with Iran. We win regardless. We've defeated them militarily,” Trump told reporters.