Vice President JD Vance said negotiations between the United States and Iran ended early Sunday without a deal after the Iranians refused to accept U.S. terms to not develop a nuclear weapon.
The high-stakes talks in Pakistan ended after 21 hours, Vance said, with the vice president in constant communication with President Donald Trump and others in the administration.
“But 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 told reporters.
The war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week.
The U.S. delegation led by Vance and the Iranian delegation led by parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf had discussed how to advance a ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Here is the latest:
Pope Leo XIV demands ceasefire in Lebanon and respect of international law
Leo said Sunday he was “closer than ever” to the people of Lebanon at the end of his noontime prayers, and called on all sides to stop fighting and seek peace.
“The principle of humanity, inscribed in the conscience of every person and recognized in international law, entails the moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the atrocious effects of war,” Leo said.
Though Israel’s strikes over Beirut have calmed in recent days, its attacks on southern Lebanon have intensified alongside a ground invasion it renewed after Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel in the opening days of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
Leo wished Christians celebrating Orthodox Easter, and said he hoped especially that the international community doesn’t turn its back on the “beloved people of Ukraine.”
He noted that Wednesday marks the third anniversary of the “fratricidal war” in Sudan, and appealed for talks to end what he called an “inhuman tragedy.”
Iranian official says key demands include war reparations and controlling Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s First Vice President Reza Aref said Tehran sought U.S. recognition of its control of transit through the Strait of Hormuz in the collapsed Islamabad talks.
Iran having “authority in the Strait of Hormuz” and pursuing compensation for the damage caused by U.S. and Israeli strikes were “the rights of the (Iranian) people,” he said.
“This is our firm commitment to a strong Iran,” Aref wrote on social media.
Iran’s chief negotiator in Pakistan blames the US for failing to reach a deal
In a series of posts on X, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said the Iranian delegation provided “forward-looking initiatives” during the 21-hour talks but the Americans could not gain Iran’s trust.
He said now is the time for the U.S. “to decide whether it can gain our trust or not.”
He didn’t elaborate. But Iranian state media reported earlier that major points of disagreement included Iran’s nuclear program and transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Turkish politicians condemn Israel’s criticism of Erdogan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip in a post on X in which he wrote: “Israel under my leadership will continue to fight Iran’s terror regime and its proxies, unlike Erdogan who accommodates them and massacred his own Kurdish citizens.”
In response, Omer Celik, spokesperson of the ruling Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party, or AKP, said Sunday that Israel’s comments aimed to sabotage the peace talks in Pakistan, foment unrest among the Kurdish minority and pit Turkey against Iran.
Numan Kurtulmus, the speaker of Turkey’s parliament, called Netanyahu “the ringleader terrorist of the 21st century’s massacre and terror network.”
“The audacity of someone whose hands are stained with children’s blood — someone pursued by international law — to presume to lecture Turkey on morality is merely an indicator of his efforts to cover up his own crimes against humanity, and it holds no validity whatsoever,” Kurtulmus said.
Israeli strike kills 6 people in southern Lebanese town
The strike on Sunday morning hit a home of seven people in the Lebanese town of Maaroub, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.