Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir receiving US Vice President J.D. Vance at the airport N. Prabhakaran Dubai: Mediated by Pakistan’s Army Chief...
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| Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir receiving US Vice President J.D. Vance at the airport |
N. Prabhakaran
Dubai: Mediated by Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir—sidelining the country's political leadership—the settlement talks between the United States and Iran have concluded without reaching an agreement. With both delegations departing Pakistan, the ceasefire prospects in the Middle East have hit a crisis. US Vice President J.D. Vance stated that the 21-hour long marathon negotiations failed to yield any progress.
The talks, held in three phases, concluded in the early hours of the morning. In a subsequent press conference, Vance stated: "They decided not to accept our terms. President (Donald Trump) had instructed us to negotiate in good faith and strive for a deal. Unfortunately, no progress was made."
However, Iran blamed America's "unjust demands" for the stalemate. "The Iranian delegation negotiated continuously and intensely for 21 hours to protect the national interests of the Iranian people. Despite several proposals put forward by the Iranian side, America’s unreasonable demands hindered progress, leading to the end of the talks," Iran's official news agency, IRIB, reported via Telegram.
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| Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif receiving the Iranian delegation |
The US delegation was led by Vance, alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Iranian team was headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Sayyid Abbas Araghchi.
The Vice President clarified that the US sought a guarantee that Iran would not attempt to build or develop nuclear weapons in the coming years. "Their nuclear program and previous uranium enrichment facilities have been destroyed. However, we see no commitment from their side that they won't build a nuclear weapon in the future," he added.
"We had several critical discussions with Iran. That is the good news. But the bad news is that we couldn't reach a deal. I believe this will harm Iran more than the US."
"We are returning to America without an agreement. We have clearly informed them of our 'red lines' (non-negotiable terms) and the areas where we are willing to offer concessions. Despite presenting things as clearly as possible, they chose not to accept our terms."
When asked by a journalist regarding what exactly Iran rejected, Vance replied:
"I don't want to publicly disclose all the details after 21 hours of secret negotiations. But the simple fact is this—we need to see a firm commitment that they will not build nuclear weapons or seek technology that helps them acquire them rapidly. That is the President’s primary goal. That is what we aimed for in these talks. Their previous nuclear programs and enrichment sites are destroyed. But the question is—will we get an assurance of Iran’s will to not develop nuclear weapons, not just now or in two years, but for the long term? That hasn't happened yet. We hope it will."
On the question of whether frozen Iranian assets or other frameworks were discussed:
"We discussed those things and many other issues beyond that. Certainly, those topics came up. But again, there was no situation where Iran was ready to accept America's terms. We were very flexible and prepared to make compromises. The President told us to negotiate with full faith and try our best for a deal. We did that. Unfortunately, we couldn't move forward."
Regarding the level of communication with President Donald Trump:
"Certainly, we were in constant contact with the President. We must have spoken to him about twelve times in the last 21 hours. We also held discussions with the entire national security team, including Admiral Brad Cooper, Pete Hegseth, and Marco Rubio. We also spoke with Scott Bessent several times. We were in constant touch because we were engaging in the talks very sincerely. We are leaving here with a simple proposal—it is our final and best offer. Let's see if Iran accepts it."
Trump further claimed that Iran's naval and air forces had been neutralized and their radar systems destroyed. "All their leaders are killed," he added.
Apart from the nuclear issue, the opening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf was also a topic of discussion. The US Navy is continuing operations to remove mines laid by Iran. Meanwhile, Trump warned that if China assists Iran, Beijing will face severe consequences.
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