Components of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG), guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) and French Navy frigate FS Languedoc (D 653) transit the Strait of Hormuz on November 25, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
What were billed as the most consequential talks in decades ended without a breakthrough, but also without a collapse, as nearly 24-hour-long negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded in Islamabad on Sunday with both sides digging in on core demands yet leaving the door open for further engagement.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, was the first to emerge after the marathon talks, announcing there was no agreement before departing the capital.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America,” Vance told reporters, shortly before leaving, in what marked the highest-level direct contact between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Despite the blunt assessment, Pakistan sought to frame the outcome as a pause rather than a failure. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the talks were “not dead,” describing the situation as a “stalemate” while expressing hope that diplomacy would ultimately prevail.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who played a central mediating role alongside the military leadership, insisted that Islamabad would continue facilitating dialogue “in the days to come.”
The talks, which began on Saturday afternoon, initially took place indirectly before transitioning into rare face-to-face engagement. Negotiations stretched deep into the night and into Sunday morning, underscoring both the complexity of the issues and the seriousness of the effort.
By the time Vance addressed journalists at a hotel in Islamabad, the sun had already risen, marking the end of an intense diplomatic push that saw “numerous messages and texts” exchanged between the two sides. According to officials, discussions spanned a wide range of contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme, the future of the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief, war reparations, and a broader ceasefire framework following the recent six-week US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Vance made clear that Washington’s primary demand remained unchanged: an unequivocal Iranian commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons capability.
“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. He added that Tehran had “not accepted our terms,” signalling that fundamental gaps persist.
Iranian officials, while acknowledging the absence of a deal, struck a more measured tone. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said expectations of a swift agreement were unrealistic given the depth of disputes.
“From the beginning, we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session,” he said, emphasising that diplomacy would continue.
Baghaei underscored that negotiations were part of a broader strategic effort, describing diplomacy as a continuation of Iran’s struggle to safeguard its national interests. He also reiterated deep mistrust of the United States, citing past “breaches of trust” and recent conflict.
Iran’s delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, claimed it had presented “forward-looking” proposals but suggested Washington had yet to demonstrate the willingness needed to bridge the divide. “The US has understood Iran’s logic and principles, and it’s time for them to decide whether they can earn our trust or not,” Ghalibaf said in a statement.
For Pakistan, hosting the talks was both a diplomatic gamble and an opportunity to reassert its relevance on the global stage. In a televised statement at the conclusion of the talks, Dar thanked both sides for responding to Islamabad’s call for a ceasefire and agreeing to negotiations.
He revealed that he, along with Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, facilitated “several rounds of intense and constructive negotiations” over the past 24 hours.
Dar stressed the importance of maintaining the ceasefire and expressed hope that the “positive spirit” demonstrated in Islamabad would eventually translate into a durable peace. “Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagement and dialogue,” he said.
Officials privately acknowledged that while no agreement was reached, simply bringing the two adversaries to the table and keeping them engaged for nearly a full day, was itself a significant achievement.
With trust deficit still deep and positions entrenched, the Islamabad talks may not have delivered the “deal of the century” some had hoped for. Yet they appear to have laid the groundwork for a longer, more incremental process.
Some observers said for now, the outcome can best be described as no breakthrough, but no breakdown either and just enough momentum to keep hope alive.
