The United States and Iran have failed to reach an agreement to end the ongoing conflict in the Middle East after high-level negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, with Washington presenting what it described as its “final and best offer” to Tehran.
US Vice President, JD Vance, disclosed this on Sunday after nearly a full day of talks between the two countries, the highest-level engagement since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Speaking after the 21-hour negotiations, Vance said the United States was seeking a clear assurance from Iran that it would not pursue the development of nuclear weapons.
“We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it,” Vance said before departing Pakistan.
He added that Washington had not yet received the “fundamental commitment” it demanded from Tehran on halting its nuclear ambitions.
Despite the deadlock, Vance indicated that the United States was giving Iran time to consider the proposal, following a decision earlier in the week to pause joint attacks with Israel for two weeks to allow room for negotiations.
Pakistan, which hosted and facilitated the talks, urged both sides to maintain dialogue and respect the temporary ceasefire.
The country’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, said Islamabad would continue to support diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
“We will continue to play our role to facilitate engagement and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come.
“It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire,” Dar added.
Iranian state media reported that negotiations stalled because of what it described as “unreasonable demands” from the American side.
However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry later suggested that a breakthrough was unlikely in a single meeting, given the intensity of the conflict.
“No one could have expected that after 40 days of war, they would reach an agreement within one session,” a spokesman said.
The conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran and triggering wider tensions across the Middle East.
The war has disrupted global markets, particularly after Iran effectively shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime route through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally passes.
Washington has since deployed naval forces to ensure safe passage for oil tankers, although Iranian authorities denied that US warships had entered the strait and warned of possible retaliation.
The negotiations in Islamabad were marked by deep mistrust, with Iran expressing scepticism about Washington’s intentions.
“Our experience in negotiating with the Americans has always been met with failure and broken promises,” Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said after arriving in Pakistan.
The Iranian delegation also included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while the US delegation featured key officials, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Iran has demanded the unfreezing of its sanctioned assets and an end to Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon as conditions for ending the conflict.
However, Vance insisted that the Lebanon conflict would not be part of the Islamabad negotiations.
The situation has been further complicated by ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities said Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed 18 people on Saturday, raising the death toll from Israel’s operations since the war began to over 2,000.
Israel has ruled out a ceasefire with Hezbollah but signalled readiness for separate peace discussions with Lebanon, expected to take place in Washington next week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped to reach a deal with Lebanon that “will last for generations.”
