After 21 hours of direct talks with Iran, they have reached no agreement with the US.
JD Vance said they refused to agree to not develop a nuclear weapon.
Vice President JD Vance, senior envoy Steve Witkoff, and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner took part in face-to-face talks with Iranian leaders and Pakistani negotiators in Islamabad. Following a marathon session, Vance told reporters, “We have not reached an agreement,” adding that the Iranians “have chosen not to accept our terms.”
Vice President JD Vance gives an update in Pakistan:
"The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon." pic.twitter.com/il4THN5DwV
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 12, 2026
The trilateral talks were the first face-to-face meeting since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Negotiators were expected to be focusing on key points, including Tehran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz; Israel’s ongoing conflict with Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon; and Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
U.S. Central Command said two U.S. Navy destroyer ships “conducted operations” in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, beginning efforts to clear mines from the waterway. The strategic shipping waterway has been sealed since the war began, snarling global supply chains amid rising oil and gas prices.
Before negotiations, President Trump explained what would happen if the talks failed. They are exploring military options.
“We’re loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made,” Trump told the New York Post in an April 10 phone interview. “And if we don’t have a deal, we will be using them—and we will be using them very effectively.”