{"id":2000108375,"date":"2026-04-12T09:36:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/?p=2000108375"},"modified":"2026-04-12T09:38:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:38:04","slug":"fragile-ceasefire-at-risk-as-us-and-iran-leave-pakistan-without-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/fragile-ceasefire-at-risk-as-us-and-iran-leave-pakistan-without-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Fragile ceasefire at risk as US and Iran leave Pakistan without deal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Delegations from both countries departed Islamabad on Sunday without a breakthrough, each side blaming the other for the collapse of talks aimed at ending a war that has killed thousands and disrupted global energy markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, acknowledged the outcome shortly before leaving Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians,\u201d he said. \u201cThe bad news is that we have not reached an agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vance emphasised that Washington\u2019s key demands had not changed, particularly regarding Iran\u2019s nuclear ambitions. He said the U.S. had sought firm guarantees that Tehran would not pursue nuclear weapons or the capability to rapidly develop them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe just could not get to a situation where the Iranians would accept our terms,\u201d he added, describing the proposal on the table as the United States\u2019 \u201cfinal and best offer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vance also revealed the level of direct coordination with Washington during the talks, saying he had spoken with President Donald Trump as many as a dozen times throughout the negotiations. Even as discussions continued, Trump downplayed the necessity of reaching an agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re negotiating. Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me, because we\u2019ve won,\u201d President Trump told reporters on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian officials, however, pushed back, accusing Washington of making unreasonable demands. A spokesperson for Iran\u2019s foreign ministry described the talks as \u201cintensive\u201d but said progress depended on \u201cseriousness and good faith\u201d from the U.S. side. Iranian media reported that disagreements over the country\u2019s nuclear programme and control of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz were among the main obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The negotiations, held over two days and stretching overnight, marked the first direct high-level engagement between the two countries in more than a decade. They followed a temporary ceasefire agreed earlier in the week, which Pakistani officials have urged both sides to maintain despite rising tensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan\u2019s Foreign Minister stressed the importance of preserving the truce, calling it \u201cimperative\u201d for regional stability. Officials in Islamabad had hoped the talks would pave the way for a broader de-escalation, but signs of strain were evident throughout the discussions. One source familiar with the negotiations described \u201cmood swings\u201d and fluctuating tensions as talks progressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond nuclear concerns, broader geopolitical issues complicated the negotiations. Iran has reportedly demanded the release of frozen assets, war reparations, and greater control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route through which roughly one-fifth of the world\u2019s energy supply passes. The U.S., meanwhile, has insisted on ensuring free navigation through the strait and curbing Iran\u2019s nuclear enrichment capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The failure to secure a deal leaves the region in a precarious position. Although some oil tankers have begun moving through the Strait of Hormuz following the ceasefire, many vessels remain stranded, and global markets continue to react nervously to the uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the volatility, fighting linked to the broader conflict continues elsewhere in the region. Israel has carried out strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, underscoring the risk of further escalation beyond the immediate U.S.-Iran confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the setback, officials on both sides have not ruled out future negotiations. For now, however, the breakdown in Islamabad highlights the deep divisions that remain, and the challenges ahead in turning a temporary ceasefire into lasting peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Images showed Vance, who headed the US delegation, along with other members, boarding a plane back to the United States, just minutes after a brief press conference in which he announced that the round of negotiations in Islamabad had ended without an understanding.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States and Iran have failed to reach a peace agreement after more than 20 hours of intense negotiations in Pakistan\u2019s capital, casting uncertainty over a fragile ceasefire and prolonging a conflict that has already lasted more than six weeks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000108376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[151,69,101],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000108375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-48","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","tag-internationl","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000108376,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26102077651829-640x400-1.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":640,"height":400,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26102077651829-640x400-1.jpg","width":150,"height":94},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26102077651829-640x400-1.jpg","width":300,"height":188},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26102077651829-640x400-1.jpg","width":640,"height":400},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26102077651829-640x400-1.jpg","width":640,"height":400},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26102077651829-640x400-1.jpg","width":640,"height":400}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000108375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000108375"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000108375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000108378,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000108375\/revisions\/2000108378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000108376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000108375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000108375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000108375"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000108375"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000108375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}