The first day of direct talks between the US and Iran ended without an agreement. US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation to the talks, also left Islamabad after the first day of talks, saying Iran refused to accept Washington’s terms after 21 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital on Saturday.
Mr Vance said the US has put forward a “final and best offer” that it wants Iran to accept.
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Speaking about the first day of the direct talks, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said in a statement that the two sides reached an understanding on several issues, with differences of opinion on two to three matters, Al Jazeera reports.
Mr Baghaei said no one expected a deal from just one meeting.
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PREMIUM TIMES reports that the contentious issues are believed to be control of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s intention to continue to produce nuclear materials for civilian use, even if it abandons production of high-grade uranium, which the US and the West believe can be used to produce a nuclear bomb.
The US wants Iran to completely stop all forms of uranium enrichment and hand over its highly enriched uranium.
The talks in Islamabad are taking place during the two-week ceasefire accepted by the warring parties following a proposal by Pakistan.
Many world leaders have urged the US and Iran to come to an agreement and avoid continuing the war that started on 28 February when the US and Israel launched unprovoked attacks on Iran.
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Thousands of people have been killed in the war, the majority of them in Iran and Lebanon, while millions of others have been displaced.
Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 per cent of the world’s oil passes, has had a global economic impact, with oil prices rising by about 25 per cent and pushing up prices of goods and services worldwide.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to attack Lebanon and has killed over 300 people since the ceasefire was declared. The US and Israel claim Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire despite mediator Pakistan saying it is.
