What US wanted in Iran talks that scuttled a deal

Several competing unresolved issues between the US and Iran scuttled a possible deal following Islamabad talks between the two warring sides, which have currently been observing a 14-day ceasefire since April 08.

Despite “substantive” 16-hour-long discussions as described by the US Vice President JD Vance, Washington and Tehran still remain at loggerheads over issues including the Iranian nuclear program as well as enriched uranium, besides terms and conditions over sanctions relief, particularly how much of Iran’s frozen financial assets would be released under any agreement.

Vance and his team met the Iranian delegation led by top lawmaker Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf in the Pakistani capital over the weekend, but concluded negotiations, the highest since 1979, without arriving at any deal.

According to the US-based Axios outlet, the “main gaps” in the talks with Iran included demands from Washington for Iran to end all uranium enrichment, dismantle all major nuclear enrichment facilities, and hand over its highly enriched uranium.

Washington also pressed Tehran to cut all funding to groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, the outlet reported, citing an unnamed US official.

The US team demanded Iran “fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz without imposing tolls or restrictions,” it added.

Another major hurdle during talks in Islamabad revolved around the “scale and timing of sanctions relief, particularly how much of Iran’s frozen financial assets would be released under any agreement,” said the report.

The negotiations came after Pakistan secured a 14-day ceasefire between the warring parties on April 08, the first time since Feb. 28 when the US and Israel initiated war on Iran.

Before departing for his home country, Vance told reporters in Islamabad that the US sought a commitment that Iran would not seek a nuclear weapon.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to make any headway,” he regretted.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Qalibaf said it was now time for Washington to decide whether it could “earn” Tehran’s trust.

21 hours of ‘nothing’

According to The New York Times, Vance spent 21 hours in Pakistan and “failed to end a war he opposed.”

Vance left the talks "with nothing," The New York Times reported.

In an account of how Vance’s trip to Pakistan concluded, the US-based daily reported: “It was a remarkable conclusion to a high-stakes diplomatic trip for Mr. Vance, who made his opposition known to a full-scale war in Iran.”

According to the New York Post, the talks were expected to focus on US demands that Iran hand over an estimated 1,000 pounds (453.5 kilograms) of enriched uranium.

It added that Washington wanted Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to confirm his team in Islamabad was focused on the Iranian nuclear program.

“We got just about every point we needed except for the fact that they refuse to give up their nuclear ambition,” he said, announcing a naval blockade of Iran.

He described the Islamabad talks as “really a good meeting,” with both sides agreeing on “95%” of issues, except “one problem … they want to have nuclear weapons.”

The talks were part of broader efforts to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has killed more than 3,300 people since Feb. 28, before a fragile two-week ceasefire was brokered earlier this week.

Since the outbreak of the war, Iran has also restricted the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for oil and gas shipments.

Yechiel Leiter, Israeli ambassador to the US, also indicated what could have been the focus of talks.

For Israel, this war is “not over until there is a complete de-linkage between Iran and its proxies,” Leiter told CBS.