Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who headed Iran’s delegation during the 2015 nuclear negotiations, attributed the collapse of recent peace talks to the United States’ insistence on imposing its conditions. Zarif emphasized that negotiations with Iran cannot succeed if one side attempts to dictate terms unilaterally.
He stated that the US must recognize it cannot force Iran to accept its demands, adding that it is not too late for Washington to learn this lesson. Zarif made these remarks in a post on the social media platform X.
Meanwhile, senior officials from the US and Iran met in Pakistan on Saturday to discuss peace efforts amid a tenuous two-week ceasefire in the Middle East. However, the talks ended without agreement. A US news outlet cited an anonymous source familiar with the discussions, revealing that key sticking points included Iran’s insistence on controlling the Strait of Hormuz and its refusal to relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, told a press conference on Sunday that the negotiations lasted approximately 21 hours but that Iran declined to accept the US terms presented.
On the Iranian side, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei acknowledged that while some consensus was reached, significant differences persisted on two or three critical issues.
The conflict escalated after the February 28 strikes by the United States and Israel resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, sparking a wider war across the region. The future of the ceasefire remains uncertain following the unsuccessful talks, and it is unclear whether further negotiations will take place.
