Tehran rejected Washington’s demands for the transfer of enriched uranium and the Strait of Hormuz.
Jacquelyn Martin/Reuters/Scanpix/LETA
US Vice President Jay D. Vance announced that the US and Iran could not reach an agreement in the talks in Islamabad.
“There have been meaningful discussions with the Iranians, which is good news. The bad news is that we didn’t get a deal, and I think that’s more bad news for Iran than it is for the United States. “Unfortunately, we did not achieve any progress,” said the vice-president, who headed the group of American negotiators.
He announced that Iran had decided not to accept the US terms and that the delegation was returning to the United States.
Vance noted that the issue of nuclear weapons is the main issue in the US negotiations with Iran, and that President Trump’s main task is to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons now and in the future. According to Vance, in the talks in Islamabad, the United States did not see a willingness on the part of the Iranians to commit to not developing nuclear weapons.
He noted that the U.S. wants a “firm commitment” from Iran not to seek nuclear weapons or the means to accelerate their development, and that this is an unchanging U.S. condition:
“We’re leaving here with a very simple offer, which is our best and final offer to reach a mutual agreement. Let’s see if the Iranians will accept him.”
The official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Ismail Baqii, said that the negotiations took place in an atmosphere of distrust and that an agreement cannot be reached in one meeting. At the same time, he noted that despite the fact that “opinions differed on the main issues”, the opinion of the parties came from the same place on a number of issues. He stated that Iran is open to continuing diplomatic efforts and will be in constant contact with Pakistan and other mediators.
The press in Iran wrote that America’s conditions in the negotiations were too harsh. In particular, according to the Tasnim agency, the US demanded the export of enriched uranium from Iran. The Financial Times reported that the parties have reached an impasse over the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump was watching the UFC tournament when the talks ended.
Earlier, he repeated his words that he was not interested in the outcome of the negotiations in Pakistan, that “the United States has already won this war”, that the Iranian aviation, fleet and leadership were destroyed. He did not comment directly after the talks ended, but he did link to an article on his social media page that said the US could blockade Iran by sea if the talks fail.
The American military began to prepare for the operation to clear the Strait of Hormuz on April 11 – on the same day, two warships of the US fleet crossed the strait. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on April 12 that any attempt by warships to cross the strait would be stopped. The Corps statement noted that only merchant ships can cross the strait under certain conditions. According to this news, the waters of the strait remain closed for the passage of ships.
