Vice-president JD Vance said negotiations ended early on Sunday between the United States and Iran without a peace deal after the Iranians refused to accept terms that they would not develop a nuclear weapon.
Talks ended after 21 hours in Islamabad, Pakistan, Mr Vance said, where he had been in communication throughout with President Donald Trump and others in the Washington administration.
“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,” Mr Vance told reporters.
“That is the core goal of the president of the United States. That’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”
He said he had spoken to Mr Trump “a half dozen times, a dozen times, over the past 21 hours” and also spoke to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the United States Central Command.
“We were constantly in communication with the team because we were negotiating in good faith,” Mr Vance said, speaking at a podium in front of a pair of American flags with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to his side.
“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.”
Mr Trump previously said he would suspend attacks against Iran for two weeks. Mr Vance’s comments did not indicate what will happen after that time period expires or if the ceasefire will remain in place.
Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar called on Iran and the US to keep their commitment to maintaining a ceasefire and said his country will continue to play a mediating role.
The talks ended days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced, as the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week. Two Pakistani officials said discussions between the heads of the delegations will resume after a break.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Mr Trump claimed military victory against Iran and downplayed the importance of the negotiations because “regardless what happens we win”.
He said: “Let’s see what happens – maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t. It doesn’t matter. From the standpoint of America, we win.”
Mr Trump acknowledged “very deep negotiations” with Iran.
He also said the US military is searching for mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which still remains effectively closed to most freighters carrying oil and natural gas out of the Persian Gulf.
The US military said two destroyers transited the strait ahead of mine-clearing work, a first since the war began.
A spokesperson for Iran’s joint military command denied the claim, adding that “initiative over the passage of any vessel rests with the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, according to Iran’s state media.
Qatar’s ministry of transport announced on Saturday the full resumption of maritime navigation activities on Sunday from 6am to 6pm, extending the decision to “all categories of marine vessels and transport modes”.
In a statement, the ministry urged operators to comply with safety protocols.
Iran’s 10-point proposal ahead of the talks called for a guaranteed end to the war and sought control over the Strait of Hormuz. It included ending fighting against Iran’s “regional allies”, explicitly calling for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah.
The United States’ 15-point proposal includes restricting Iran’s nuclear programme and reopening the strait.
The US delegation led by Mr Vance and the Iranian one led by Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, discussed with Pakistan how to advance the ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, whose health ministry said the death toll has surpassed 2,000.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi had said Tehran was entering negotiations with “deep distrust” after strikes on Iran during previous talks.
Mr Araghchi, part of Iran’s delegation in Pakistan, said on Saturday his country was prepared to retaliate if attacked again.
Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the most direct US contact had been in 2013 when then president Barack Obama called newly elected president Hassan Rouhani to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme.
Mr Obama’s secretary of state John Kerry and his counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif later met during negotiations towards the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – a process that lasted well over a year.
Iran’s state-run news agency said the three-party talks this weekend began after Iranian pre-conditions, including a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, were met.
Iran’s delegation told state television it had presented “red lines” in meetings with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, including compensation for damage caused by US-Israeli strikes which launched the war on February 28 and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Officials from the region said Chinese, Egyptian, Saudi and Qatari officials were in Islamabad to indirectly facilitate talks.
Israel pressed ahead with strikes in Lebanon after saying there is no ceasefire there. Iran and Pakistan have disagreed.
Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to begin on Tuesday in Washington, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office has said, after Israel’s surprise announcement authorising talks despite the countries’ lack of official relations.
But as thousands in Lebanon protested against the planned negotiations on Saturday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he had postponed a planned trip to Washington “in light of the current internal circumstances”.
His absence should not affect talks as the first round is expected to be at the ambassadorial level.
Israel wants Lebanon’s government to assume responsibility for disarming Hezbollah, much like was envisaged in a November 2024 ceasefire. But the militant group has survived efforts to curb its strength for decades.
Hezbollah joined the war in support of Iran in the opening days. Israel followed with air strikes and a ground invasion.
Meanwhile, in his strongest words yet, Pope Leo denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” fuelling the war.