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US Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that the US had not been able to reach an agreement with Iran, after 21 hours of \u201csubstantive discussions\u201d under the umbrella of the \u201cIslamabad Talks\u201d which commenced on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
He was addressing a press conference in Islamabad after the direct talks between delegations from the two countries, mediated by Pakistan, stretched into a second day on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been at it now for 21 hours, and we have had a number of substantive discussions, that\u2019s the good news,\u201d said Vance. \u201cThe bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have made very clear what our red lines are, what things we are willing to accommodate them on and what things we are not willing to accommodate them on,\u201d said the US vice president, adding that the Iranian delegation had \u201cchosen not to accept our terms\u201d.<\/p>\n
Vance began the press conference by appreciating Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, saying that they were \u201cincredible hosts\u201d.<\/p>\n
He also clarified that \u201cwhatever shortcomings were in the negotiations were not because of Pakistanis, who did an amazing jobs and really tried to help us and the Iranians bridge the gap and get to a deal\u201d.<\/p>\n
When the US vice president was asked to elaborate on what had the Iranians rejected, he began by saying: \u201cI won\u2019t go into all the details because I dont want to negotiate in public after we have negotiated for 21 hours in private. But the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapons and that they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n
That, he said, was the \u201ccore goal of the US president, and that\u2019s what we have tried to achieve through these negotiations\u201d.<\/p>\n
Vance added that while Iran\u2019s nuclear enrichment facilities had been \u201cdestroyed\u201d, the \u201csimple question is: do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear a weapon, not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t seen that yet, we hope that we will,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Iran\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, wrote on X that it \u201cwas a busy and long day for the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Islamabad\u201d, during which \u201cnumerous messages and texts have been exchanged between the two sides.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past 24 hours, discussions were held on various dimensions of the main negotiation topics, including 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,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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\u2019s legitimate rights and interests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baqaei also expressed appreciation to the \u201cgovernment and the warm-hearted and noble people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for hosting the negotiations and their benevolent efforts in advancing this process\u201d.<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n What you need to know so far:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The trilateral talks, which commenced on Saturday afternoon, saw the the US and Iranian delegations engage in discussions over three sessions, with teams of experts from the two parties exchanging written texts after each session.<\/p>\n The Iranian government said in a post on X that the talks were held at the \u201cexpert-level stage as economic, military, legal, and nuclear committees joined\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cNegotiations continue at the Serena Hotel to finalise technical details,\u201d it had added.<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n The talks took place during a two-week ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran that began with US-Israeli attacks<\/a> on February 28. The conflict, which spread across the Middle East and sent shockwaves through global economies, paused after Pakistan brokered<\/a> a temporary ceasefire on April 8.<\/p>\n Delegations from the two countries had arrived in Islamabad for the negotiations.<\/p>\n The US delegation was led by US Vice President JD Vance<\/a>, who was accompanied by US President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.<\/p>\n Follow the latest updates here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n The Iranian delegation was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and also included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with other leaders.<\/p>\n In a post on X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran\u2019s delegation remained \u201cfully committed\u201d to safeguarding the country\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n He expressed hope that the delegation would \u201cnegotiate courageously\u201d. He added that regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, the government will \u201cstand by its people\u201d.<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Prior to the talks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held separate meetings with delegations from the United States and Iran.<\/p>\n PM Shehbaz held a meeting with the Iranian delegation at the Islamabad Talks today, the Prime Minister\u2019s Office (PMO) said in a statement<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cAppreciating Iran\u2019s engagement in the Islamabad Talks, the prime minister affirmed Pakistan\u2019s sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator to help build momentum towards achieving meaningful results in the interest of regional and global peace and stability,\u201d PMO stated.<\/p>\n Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi attended the meeting from the Pakistani side.<\/p>\n The PMO shared a video from the exchange, showing PM Shehbaz greeting Ghalibaf and Araghchi by hugging them and shaking hands.<\/p>\n An Iranian delegation has met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, ahead of talks with the United States. Confirming the sit-down, the PM’s official account on X wrote, “Appreciating Iran\u2019s engagement in the Islamabad talks, the Prime Minister affirmed Pakistan\u2019s sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator to help build momentum towards achieving meaningful results in the interest of regional and global peace and stability.” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshall Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi attended the meeting from Pakistani side, while the Iranian side was led by the Speaker of the Iranian Assembly, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, assisted by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Video via PakPMO\/X. DawnToday<\/p>\n \u266c original sound – Dawn.com – <\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n PM Shehbaz held a separate meeting with Vance, Witkoff and Kushner, who had arrived in Pakistan earlier in the day.<\/p>\n In a statement<\/a> issued about the US delegation\u2019s meeting, the PMO said, \u201cCommending the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, the prime minister expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement added that the premier \u201creiterated that Pakistan looks forward to continue its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region\u201d.<\/p>\n PM Shehbaz was assisted by Dar and Naqvi, according to PMO.<\/p>\n Shortly after 10:30am PKT on Saturday, Vance landed at the Nur Khan Air Base, where he was greeted by Dar, Naqvi and CDF Munir.<\/p>\n United States Vice President JD Vance and his delegation arrived in Pakistan on Saturday morning for historic talks with the Iranian leadership. The talks are taking place during a two-week halt in the US-Israeli war against Iran, which began with US-Israeli attacks on February 28. The conflict, which spread across the Middle East and sent shockwaves through global economies, paused after Pakistan brokered a temporary ceasefire on April 8. Vance was met by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir after disembarking at the Nur Khan Air Base. The Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad early on Saturday morning after a last-minute hurdle over Israeli strikes in Lebanon eased. Tehran had conditioned its participation on a halt to attacks in Lebanon, a point Pakistan said was included in the US-Iran ceasefire. DawnToday<\/p>\n \u266c original sound – Dawn.com – Dawn.com<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n In a statement officially confirming the US delegation\u2019s arrival, the Foreign Office (FO) said that Dar welcomed Vance and \u201ccommended US commitment to achieving lasting regional and global peace and stability\u201d.<\/p>\n The deputy premier \u201cexpressed the hope that parties would engage constructively, and reiterated Pakistan\u2019s desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching [a] lasting and durable solution to the conflict\u201d.<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n The Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad early on Saturday morning after a last-minute hurdle over Israeli strikes in Lebanon eased<\/a>. Tehran had conditioned its participation on a halt to attacks in Lebanon, a point Pakistan said was included in the US-Iran ceasefire.<\/p>\n Officials from the US National Security Council, State Department and Department of Defence are accompanying Vance, while advanced security, technical and communications teams reached Islamabad on Friday.<\/p>\n According to Iran\u2019s Tasnim<\/em><\/a> news agency, other Iranian negotiators include Supreme National Defence Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian and central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati.<\/p>\n As of Friday, talks had come close to being derailed as Iran insisted it would not join negotiations unless Israeli strikes in Lebanon stopped.<\/p>\n Ghalibaf made clear on Friday evening that Tehran\u2019s participation hinged on two conditions \u2014 a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad, estimated at about $7 billion. He said these steps \u201cmust be fulfilled before negotiations begin\u201d.<\/p>\n An Iranian official told Dawn<\/em>: \u201cWe forced a pause in attacks in Beirut and Dahieh by making it a red line in negotiations and also made it clear that if Israel crosses it again, talks would be off.\u201d<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Iran maintains that any ceasefire must extend across all fronts, including Hezbollah, while the US and Israel have treated Lebanon attacks as outside the scope of the truce despite an initial understanding that Lebanon would be part of the ceasefire.<\/p>\n The divergence has repeatedly threatened to unravel the diplomatic track.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\n<\/p>\n<\/a>PM Shehbaz meets Iranian delegation<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>PM Shehbaz meets US VP Vance<\/h2>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/a>Delegations arrive<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/a>Points of contention<\/h2>\n
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