ISLAMABAD – The high-level negotiations between the United States and Iran have reportedly collapsed after 21 hours of intense, closed-door discussions.
In a presser, US Vice President JD Vance declared that Washington had been “extremely clear” from the outset about its red lines, stressing that some issues were open to compromise, while others were absolutely not.
“We made it very clear what our red lines are, which points we can compromise on and which we cannot,” Vance stated.
According to him, Iran ultimately refused to accept the U.S. conditions. “And they (Iran) have decided that they will not accept our terms,” he said bluntly.
When pressed by journalists to specify exactly which conditions were rejected, Vance declined to reveal full details of the lengthy behind-closed-doors negotiations, citing their sensitivity. However, he outlined the core U.S. demand in stark terms.
“The simple point is that we want assurances from them (Iran) that they will not build nuclear weapons and that they will not acquire the equipment required to develop nuclear capability.”
He stressed that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons remains the central objective of U.S. foreign policy, adding that diplomacy was used in an attempt to secure this outcome. “US President’s fundamental objective is exactly this, and we tried to achieve this goal through negotiations.”
Vance claimed that Iran’s existing uranium enrichment capability has already been destroyed, but raised concerns over Tehran’s intentions going forward. “But are we seeing any willingness in Iran that they will never build nuclear weapons? We have not yet seen such willingness,” he warned.
The breakdown in talks shows fresh escalation in tensions, with Washington insisting its demands are non-negotiable, while Tehran reportedly refuses to commit to permanent constraints on its nuclear ambitions.
