Vance: Iran did not accept U.S. demands

Trump administration demand Iran forego the right to enrichment seen as key stumbling block to a deal. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t make any headway,” Vice President Vance said after Islamabad talks.

Vice President JD Vance said the United States and Iran held substantive, face to face talks but were unable to reach an agreement after more than fifteen hours of meetings in the Pakistani capital Islamabad that stretched overnight. He suggested that the Trump administration demand Iran give up the right to enrichment was a key stumbling block to a deal.

“We go back to the United States having not come to an agreement,” Vance said in brief remarks to the press at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad on Sunday morning Pakistani time.

“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, … and they’ve chosen not to accept our terms,” he said.

“We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer,” he said. “We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.”

Trump demand Iran forego right to enrichment sticking point

Vance’s comments suggested that the Trump administration’s demand for Iran to give up the right to enrichment was a central sticking point.

“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,” he said. While Iran’s enrichment facilities have been destroyed, including by US bombing last June, and again in March, 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.”

“We just could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms,” he said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make any headway.”

Iran’s foreign ministry said success in the talks depended on “refraining from excessive demands.”

“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,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baquaei said in a readout of the talks posted to Twitter.

“In the past 24 hours,” the Iranian ministry spokesman wrote, “discussions were held on various dimensions of the main negotiation topics, including the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, lifting of sanctions, and the complete end to the war against Iran and in the region.”

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