![\"The](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130202075,imgsize-39120,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/iran-negotiation-talks-fail-jd-vance-shehbaz-sharif-abbas-araghchi-mohammad-bagher-ghalibaf-.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nTOI correspondent from Washington<\/span>: A high-stakes diplomatic mission led by the US Vice President JD Vance ended without an agreement with Iran on Sunday, deepening uncertainty over a fragile ceasefire in the Gulf and raising the prospect of renewed conflict in the coming hours and days. After almost a full day of talks in Pakistan, Vance acknowledged failure, striking a characteristically blunt note before he left Islamabad for Washington DC. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That\u2019s the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,\u201d Vance said in the early hours of Sunday, after an all-night parleys. \u201cI think that\u2019s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America,\u201d he added cryptically, underscoring the asymmetry of consequences that is seen as a warning to Tehran.Vance said Tehran had rejected Washington\u2019s \u201cfinal and best offer,\u201d though he left the door ajar for future talks. \u201cWe leave here with a very simple proposal: a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We\u2019ll see if the Iranians accept it.\u201dIran, however, painted a very different picture of the impasse. Esmaeil Baqhaei, the spokesman for Iran\u2019s foreign ministry, said in a post on social media that the talks spanned a wide range of issues \u2014 from the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear question to sanctions relief, war reparations and a comprehensive ceasefire \u2014 but hinged ultimately on Washington\u2019s willingness to recognize what Tehran called its \u201clegitimate rights and interests.\u201dAt the heart of the breakdown were several entrenched disputes that neither side proved willing to bridge. On top was the nuclear issue, triggered mainly by Israel’s existential fears. Vance reiterated that Washington demands an \u201caffirmative commitment\u201d that Iran will neither pursue nuclear weapons nor retain the capacity to rapidly develop them. \u201cWe need an affirmative commitment \u2014 they will not seek a nuclear weapon, now or long-term. That\u2019s President Trump\u2019s core goal,\u201d he said.Iran has long insisted it does not seek nuclear weapons \u2014 a position it maintains is consistent with both its strategic doctrine and prior international commitments \u2014 but refuses to relinquish what it considers its sovereign right to a civilian nuclear program. For Tehran, Washington\u2019s demand appears less about weapons than about dismantling capability, a distinction that proved irreconcilable in Islamabad.A second fault line ran through regional security, particularly Iran\u2019s network of allied groups across the Middle East. US officials pressed for curbs on Tehran\u2019s support for proxies in Lebanon and elsewhere, demands Iran dismissed as \u201cexcessive\u201d and beyond the scope of the current crisis.The most combustible disagreement, however, centered on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has sought a greater degree of control over the waterway, framing it as a matter of regional sovereignty and security. Washington, backed by allies and partners, views any such move as a direct threat to energy supplies and global economic stability.Tehran also pressed for the unfreezing of its overseas assets and raised claims for war reparations following recent U.S. and allied strikes \u2014 demands Washington was unwilling to entertain in the absence of broader concessions.The failure of the talks casts immediate doubt on the durability of the tenuous ceasefire that had paused escalating hostilities. While neither side formally declared an end to the truce, the absence of progress \u2014 coupled with hardening rhetoric \u2014 suggests that renewed confrontation is a distinct possibility.Vance\u2019s comments hinted at a belief in Washington that time is on its side. By stressing that the outcome is \u201cbad news for Iran much more\u201d than for the United States, he signaled confidence that economic pressure and military deterrence will eventually force Tehran back to the table on US terms. Iranian officials, by contrast, appear prepared for a prolonged standoff, betting that geopolitical realities \u2014 including global dependence on Gulf energy flows \u2014 will constrain US options.Adding a layer of surreal contrast to the diplomatic drama was President Trump\u2019s own schedule. Even as his vice president was engaged in high-stakes negotiations half a world away, Trump flew to Miami to attend a Ultimate Fighting Championship event bout \u2014 a spectacle critics often liken to choreographed brutality.Earlier, he had struck a tone of airy nonchalance in Washington, declaring the outcome of the talks largely irrelevant. \u201cWe win, regardless. We\u2019ve defeated them militarily,\u201d he said.The juxtaposition \u2014 peace talks in Pakistan and prizefighting in Florida \u2014 captured the paradox of a moment in which diplomacy and brinkmanship continue to collide, with consequences that could reverberate far beyond the region.Financial markets in Asia are likely to react swiftly when trading opens Monday. Any threat to stability in the Strait of Hormuz typically triggers sharp spikes in oil prices, and analysts expect crude to surge on fears of supply disruptions. Equity markets, already sensitive to geopolitical risk, could see broad sell-offs, particularly in energy-importing economies. <\/div>\n\n