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Just 24 hours of discussions in Pakistan passed before the United States slammed the door shut on negotiations with Iran on Sunday, April 12. According to Washington, Tehran refuses to stop its nuclear weapons project. This diplomatic failure further weakens the ceasefire in the Middle East conflict.
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In the silence of Islamabad, Pakistan, still under lockdown, the American delegation convoy departs. The United States has just left historic negotiations. It is 7:00 on Sunday, April 12 in Pakistan, J.D. Vance heads back to Washington. An hour earlier, the American Vice President held a press conference. In the photos, he appears with tight, tired, or irritated features. The talks did not succeed.
For him, it’s the fault of the Iranians. “The bad news is that we did not reach an agreement. It’s much worse for Iran than for the United States. They chose not to accept our conditions.”, declares J.D. Vance, the American Vice President. The negotiations seem to have failed around the issue of Iranian nuclear weapons. According to Washington, Tehran refuses to commit to renouncing the bomb.
On their side, Iran considers the demands of the United States unreasonable. “On some points, we reached a consensus, but there was disagreement on two or three important issues. In the end, the talks did not result in an agreement”, explains Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, on Saturday night, the talks seemed to be progressing with direct negotiations between Iranians and Americans, high-level meetings unseen since 1979.
On Sunday morning, Pakistan, acting as mediator, still calls for de-escalation. “It is imperative that the parties continue to respect their commitment to the ceasefire. Pakistan has played and will continue to play its role in facilitating reconciliation and dialogue”, says Ishaq Dar, Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs. By noon on Sunday, uncertainty remains regarding the ceasefire between Iran and the United States. It was negotiated to last two weeks.
