ISTANBUL, April 12 — US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that Washington and Tehran have not yet reached an agreement as high-stakes US and Iran talks stretched into a second day, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that’s bad news for Iran, much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America,” Vance told US journalists at a hotel where the American and Iranian delegations have been holding talks since Saturday.
“They have chosen not to accept our terms,” he added.
He said Washington has not seen a “long-term” Iranian commitment to forgo developing nuclear weapons.
“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,” said Vance.
“We leave here, 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.”
He appreciated Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Gen. Asim Munir for mediating and “trying to bridge the gap” between Washington and Tehran.
Iran and the US have agreed to hold another round of talks later Sunday following a proposal by Pakistani mediators.
The upcoming round will be part of trilateral negotiations involving Iran, the US and Pakistan, as efforts continue to reach a framework agreement to end hostilities.
The next round is expected to take place after sunrise Sunday, while officials and media teams await details from inside the negotiation venue.
Pakistan is hosting the talks as part of efforts to end the broader regional conflict under a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered earlier this week.
