Vice President J.D. Vance said Sunday that high-level negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded without an agreement after Iranian officials declined to accept U.S. terms. Speaking at a press conference from the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, Vance said the talks—held over roughly 21 hours—were “substantive” but ultimately unsuccessful.
He stated that Iran had “chosen not to accept our terms,” and the U.S. delegation would return without a deal. “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” Vance said, per Fox News. “And I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America.”
The vice president stated that discussions with Iranian officials lasted 21 hours. He described these talks as “substantive discussions,” but emphasized that the U.S. was unwilling to compromise on its “red lines.”
“So we go back to the United States, having not come to an agreement. We’ve made very clear what our red lines are, what things we’re willing to accommodate them on and what things we’re not willing to accommodate them on,” Vance added. “And we’ve made that as clear as we possibly could, and they have chosen not to accept our terms.”
Vance told Fox News that he was “consistently” in contact with President Trump during the negotiations. “I don’t know how many times we talked to him — a half dozen times, a dozen times over the past 21 hours,” Vance said.
He added that his negotiating team, which included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was also in contact with other members of the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
“So, look, we were constantly in communication with the team because we were negotiating in good faith,” Vance told Fox. “And 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.”
Vance arrived in Pakistan early Saturday to lead crucial negotiations with Iran, which are aimed at maintaining a fragile ceasefire announced by Trump earlier in the week and preventing a broader regional war. The Iranian delegation includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Although Vance did not provide specifics on the terms Iran rejected, he stated that the U.S. was seeking assurances that Iran would refrain from developing a nuclear weapon.
