Islamabad talks collapse as Israel factor clouds US-Iran breakthrough

KARACHI: High-stakes negotiations between the United States and Iran ended without agreement in Islamabad after more than 21 hours of intense discussions, raising fears of renewed instability in an already volatile region and putting a fragile ceasefire at risk.
The talks, widely viewed as a critical opportunity to de-escalate tensions following weeks of confrontation, broke down over deep differences on Iran’s nuclear programme, regional security concerns and the broader strategic balance in the Middle East. While Washington maintained that Tehran failed to provide a clear commitment to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, Iranian officials rejected the demands as unrealistic and one-sided.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, stated that despite prolonged engagement, Iran did not offer what he described as an “affirmative commitment” to forgo nuclear weapons or the capabilities required to develop them. He added that the United States had presented its “final and best offer” during the negotiations, but the gap between the two sides remained unbridgeable.
Iran, however, signaled that it had shown flexibility on multiple fronts, including indications of reducing aspects of its nuclear programme-an approach consistent with earlier understandings reached in