Vance says talks failed to reach agreement with Iran

US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that talks with Iran failed to reach an agreement, saying he was leaving after putting forward a "final and best offer". “We have been at it now for 21 hours, and we have had a number of substantive discussions, that’s the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” Vance told reporters after 21 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. “We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We'll see if the Iranians accept it,” he added. Vance signaled that he was still giving time to Iran to consider the offer from the United States, which on Tuesday said it would pause attacks with Israel for two weeks pending negotiations. Vance said that the core dispute was on nuclear weapons. Iran insists it is not pursuing an atomic bomb, and the United States and Israel bombed sensitive Iranian sites both in the war launched on February 28 as well as last year. "The simple fact is that 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," Vance said. "The simple question is, do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon -- not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term? "We haven't seen that yet. We hope that we will." Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has said it has been “a busy and long day for the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Islamabad,” with “numerous messages and texts… exchanged between the two sides.” He has said the past 24 hours of talks have addressed issues including the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear program, war reparations, sanctions relief, and ending the broader conflict involving Iran. “The 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’s legitimate rights and interests,” Baqaei has said. He has also conveyed appreciation to the government and people of Pakistan for hosting the talks and supporting the process.