After a sleepless night and tense moments in Islamabad, Iranian and American officials ended their highest-level talks in decades without making any concrete progress, but 11 sources familiar with the talks said the dialogue remains alive.
The weekend meeting to try to resolve the conflict between the US and Iran, held four days after last Tuesday’s ceasefire announcement, was the first direct meeting between officials from the two countries in more than a decade and the most important engagement since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Inside the luxurious Serena Hotel in Islamabad, the talks took place in two separate wings and a common area — one for the US delegation, another for the Iranians and a space for trilateral meetings with Pakistani mediators, the operational team told Reuters.
Among the various issues at stake were the Strait of Hormuz, an important transit point for global energy supplies that Iran has effectively blocked and the US has promised to reopen, as well as Iran’s nuclear program and international sanctions against Tehran.
Cellphones were not allowed in the main room, forcing delegates — including US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf — to leave during breaks to relay messages to their governments, two of the sources said.
“There was a great hope, in the midst of the negotiations, that there would be a breakthrough and the two sides would reach an agreement. However, things changed in a short time,” said a Pakistani government source.
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Another source involved in the talks said the parties were “very close” to an understanding and were “80% there”, before stumbling upon decisions that could not be made there.
Two senior Iranian sources described the atmosphere as heavy and hostile, adding that although Pakistan had tried to defuse the mood, neither side had shown any real willingness to reduce tensions.
At a certain point, the atmosphere began to calm down.
Still, the two Iranian sources said that, early on Sunday morning, the atmosphere had improved and the possibility of extending the meeting for another day began to be considered.
The divergences, however, persisted. A US source said the Iranians did not fully understand that Washington’s central objective was to reach a deal that would guarantee Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon. Among Tehran’s concerns was distrust of American intentions.
This report, based on sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic, offers a first overview of the internal dynamics of the meeting: how the atmosphere in the room changed, how the conversations ended up being closed after signs that they could be extended and how further dialogue remains open.
There was no immediate response from the Iranian government to a request for comment on the reported points.
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US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran “called this morning” and that “they would like to make a deal”. Reuters could not immediately verify the claim.
A US official, commenting on Trump’s statement, said there had been continued engagement between the US and Iran and some progress in trying to reach an understanding.
When asked, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the US position did not change during the Islamabad meeting.
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“Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and President Trump’s negotiating team has maintained this red line and many others. Engagement continues toward an agreement,” he declared.
“Ups and downs”
A diplomat based in the Middle East said talks between mediators and Americans continued after Vance left Islamabad, while the source involved in the negotiations said Pakistan was continuing to pass messages between Tehran and Washington.
“I want to tell you that there is still a full effort to resolve the issues,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday.
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Despite numerous obstacles to peace, both sides appear to have strong reasons to consider de-escalation.
The US strikes are unpopular domestically and unlikely to topple Iran’s theocratic system, while Tehran’s strangulation of energy supplies harms the global economy and fuels inflation just months before the US midterm elections.
Furthermore, the war’s damage to an already fragile Iranian economy could further weaken the country’s authorities, just weeks after protests that were only contained with violent repression and mass deaths.
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In Islamabad, the former rivals met to try to chart a path to a long-term agreement after a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire halted six weeks of war that killed thousands of people and disrupted global energy supplies.
The central point of the dispute is the belief, between Western countries and Israel, that Iran seeks a nuclear bomb — something that Tehran denies.
A White House official said the U.S. wanted Iran to end all uranium enrichment, dismantle major nuclear facilities, hand over highly enriched uranium, accept a broader peace, agree to a security architecture that includes regional allies, end funding to allied groups and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz without charging tolls.
Iran’s demands included a guaranteed permanent ceasefire, guarantees that there would be no future attacks against the country and its allies in the region, lifting of primary and secondary sanctions, unblocking of all assets, recognition of its right to enrichment and continued control of Hormuz, Iranian sources said.
Four of the 11 sources stated that, at times, the dialogue seemed close to producing at least a framework agreement, but ended up stalling over three points: the Iranian nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and the amount of frozen assets to which Tehran wants access.
The Iranian sources said most of the substantive discussions in Islamabad took place between Vance, Qalibaf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
“There were ups and downs. There were moments of tension. People left the room and then came back”, reported a security source.
Pakistani representatives, including Army Commander Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, circulated among the delegations overnight to keep talks on track, five Pakistani sources said.
“How can we trust you?”
The negotiations lasted more than 20 hours, with the hotel’s on-call staff eating, sleeping and working on site after undergoing quick background checks, members of the operation reported.
When the topic turned to guarantees — both non-aggression and sanctions relief — Araqchi’s normally calmer tone turned harsher, the two Iranian sources said.
According to them, he asked: “How can we trust you if, at the last meeting in Geneva, you said that the US would not attack while diplomacy was underway?”
The joint US-Israeli attack on Iran began two days after a previous round of talks between the two countries in Geneva.
In addition to differences over Hormuz, sanctions and other issues, the delegations also differed on the scope of a possible agreement. While Washington focused on the nuclear dossier and Hormuz, Tehran wanted a broader understanding, two sources said.
In a tense moment, raised voices could be heard outside the main room before Munir and Dar called for a tea break and led the two groups back to separate rooms, according to the government source.
“Our best and final offer”
In the final stages of the discussions, which continued until Sunday morning, US delegates began moving much more frequently between the negotiating room and the area reserved for their delegation than the Iranians, a senior Pakistani official said.
A US source said the vice president arrived in Islamabad with the aim of concluding a deal and reaching a mutual understanding. According to this source, Washington views prolonged negotiations with Iran with suspicion, as it considers that Tehran has mastered delaying tactics and is reluctant to make concessions.
Despite the impasse, when Vance appeared before reporters to announce the end of the round, his speech indicated that further interactions were still possible.
“We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our best and final offer,” he said. “We will see if the Iranians accept it.”
