Global

he United States and Iran met at the highest level since the 1979 Iranian revolution in talks in Pakistan on Saturday, 11  April, but were unable to reach an agreement on the issues between them. US-Iran peace talks have failed, US Vice President JD Vance announced in Islamabad, after more than 20 hours of talks with Iranian officials at the Serena Hotel in the Pakistani capital. “The bad news,” he said, “is we have not reached an agreement. We just could not get to a situation where the Iranians would accept our terms.” Announcing he would depart Pakistan, Mr Vance said his team was leaving Iran with “a very simple proposal” – “our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it”. A statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry released on social media just before Mr Vance spoke did not announce the talks had broken down or reference Washington’s “final offer” directly, but called on Washington to refrain from “excessive demands and unlawful requests”. Less than an hour after he spoke, Mr Vance boarded Air Force Two, the vice-presidential jet, and departed Islamabad for Washington. The sense of exhaustion and disappointment in Islamabad – among both sides, their hosts and observers – has been palpable. Almost immediately after Mr Vance left Pakistan, Iranian state media began quoting Iranian delegation sources saying the US side was “looking for an excuse to leave”. (click the picture to read more).