Vance says he’s returning to US without deal
The US vice president has made very brief remarks to the media.
He began his comments by thanking the Pakistani prime minister and army chief, describing them as “incredible hosts”.
“Whatever shortcomings of the negotiation, it wasn’t because of the Pakistanis, who did an amazing job and really tried to help us and the Iranians bridge the gap and get to a deal. We’ve been at it now for 21 hours, and we’ve had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That’s the good news,” Vance said.
“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. So, we go back to the United States, having not come to an agreement. We’ve made very clear what our red lines are, what things we’re willing to accommodate them on, and what things we’re not willing to accommodate them on. And we made that as clear as we possibly could, and they have chosen not to accept our terms.”
Outcome of talks depends on US ‘changing unreasonable demands’
The Fars news agency says the path to a deal hinges on the US changing its “unreasonable demands” and that the Strait of Hormuz is one of several contentious issues yet to be resolved.
The agency said experts on both sides are working to find common ground and that “the Pakistani mediator is trying to resolve differences and bring opinions closer”.
Both negotiating teams have stepped back to consult with their respective expert teams on proposed texts, with talks set to resume once those drafts are ready, it added.
- Aljazeera