21/04/2026
Preparations for US-Iran talks in Islamabad, Tehran's condition and Pakistan's role behind the scenes
Author,Omar Daraz Nangyana
At the end of a 21-hour-long meeting with the Iranian delegation in Islamabad, US Vice President G.D. Vance said, "The good news is that we and Iranian diplomats have had direct talks." ‘
But then J.D. Vance gave the 'bad news' on which he ended his visit to Islamabad.
"We haven't reached an agreement with the Iranians, they've refused to accept our offer, we're going back without a deal." ‘
After the talks, which began on the 11th of this month and ended at 12 a.m. in Islamabad, the US and Iranian delegations described the "atmosphere of negotiations" in Islamabad as encouraging but blamed each other for the failure of the talks.
According to J.D. Vance, Iran did not agree to the U.S. condition to give up its nuclear enrichment for a long time, while Tehran said the U.S. delegation "made unreasonable or inappropriate demands." ‘
Tehran also alleged that the two sides were close to an agreement when "the U.S. delegation sabotaged the process." ‘
A general impression about the "bad news" part of J.D. Vance's farewell briefing in Islamabad was that it might be difficult for the two to return to the negotiating table.
However, Pakistan, the host of the U.S.-Iran talks, focused on the "good news" part of J.D. Vance, and statements from Pakistani officials immediately began to pave the way for it.