Khaberni - Pakistani sources confirmed on Sunday that major files prevented progress in the negotiations between the United States and Iran, notably the Lebanon file and the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Jay Dee Vance announced on Sunday that the talks with Iran did not lead to an agreement, noting that he is leaving Islamabad after presenting "the final and best offer" to the Iranians.
One of the sources mentioned that the American side "did not accept Lebanon to be part of any potential deal with Iran, and the American delegation, especially Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, wanted to hand the Lebanon file entirely to Israel, and separate the Lebanese file from Iran, letting Israel deal with Lebanon alone, peacefully or by war."
The sources also mentioned that the American stance on the Strait of Hormuz also became a major complication, and that the American delegation sought to postpone the Hormuz issue to the future, to be opened at the present time without Iran playing a significant role. Moreover, the American side, according to sources, requested the discussion of the Iranian missile issue, which did not happen. A Pakistani source informed Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that the Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, and the Army Chief Asim Munir, accompanied the U.S. Vice President to the airplane's stairs, and a dialogue occurred between the two parties before Vance's departure, pointing out that the Pakistani officials made efforts to convince the delegation to continue the dialogue.
Moving on, a high-level Pakistani source said that Iranian planes arrived at Nur Khan airport to transport the Iranian delegation from Pakistan, and two planes arrived to provide protection for the members of the Iranian delegation. According to the source, the members of the delegation left the negotiation site and are preparing to leave Islamabad.
Vance: We were unable to make any progress
U.S. Vice President Jay Dee Vance announced on Sunday that the talks with Iran did not lead to an agreement, noting that he is leaving Islamabad after presenting "the final and best offer" to the Iranians. Vance told reporters that the American delegation, after 21 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital, is leaving after presenting "our final and best offer. We will see if the Iranians accept it."
He added that the main disagreement revolves around nuclear weapons. He continued: "The simple truth is that we need a definite commitment that they will not pursue nuclear weapons, and will not seek the tools that would enable them to rapidly produce a nuclear weapon."
He also said: "The simple question is whether we see a fundamental commitment from the Iranians not to develop nuclear weapons (...) not now, not just two years from now, but over the long term?", adding: "We have not seen that yet, and we hope to.".
In his brief remarks at the hotel in Islamabad that hosted the talks, Vance did not address another major issue, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic passage through which a fifth of the world's oil passes. He noted that President Donald Trump, who expressed indifference in Washington on Saturday whether the two sides reached an agreement or not, was relaxed in the negotiations. He said: "I think we were very flexible. We were very cooperative. The President (Donald Trump) told us: You need to come here in good faith and do your best to reach an agreement", and added: "We did that, but unfortunately, we were unable to make any progress".
