No deal in US-Iran peace talks leaves fragile ceasefire in doubt

The United States and Iran have ended face-to-face talks without an agreement, leaving a fragile two-week ceasefire in the war in the Middle East in doubt.

Washington said the negotiations broke down over Tehran’s refusal to commit to abandoning their nuclear weapon programme, while Iran cited a “gap between our opinions over two or three important issues”.

Vice-President JD Vance, who led the US delegation, said after the 21-hour talks: “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.”

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, meanwhile, said the Strait of Hormuz was among the topics discussed and blamed “US overreach” for the lack of a deal. He did not mention nuclear weapons, though state television earlier mentioned Iran’s nuclear programme as a key sticking point.

Neither side indicated what will happen after the 14-day ceasefire expires.

Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar said his country will try to facilitate new dialogue between Iran and the US in the coming days, adding: “It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire.”

Since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, it has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 2,020 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states, and caused lasting damage to infrastructure in half a dozen Middle Eastern countries.

Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz has largely cut off the Persian Gulf and its oil and gas exports from the global economy, sending energy prices soaring.

The United States and Iran entered talks with sharply different proposals and contrasting assumptions about their leverage to end the war. Before negotiations began, the ceasefire was already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran’s 10-point proposal ahead of the talks called for a guaranteed end to the war and sought control over the Strait of Hormuz. It included ending fighting against Iran’s “regional allies”, explicitly calling for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah.

The United States’ 15-point proposal included restricting Iran’s nuclear programme and reopening the strait.

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has proved its biggest strategic advantage in the war. Around a fifth of the world’s traded oil had typically passed through on more than 100 ships a day. Only 12 have been recorded transiting since the ceasefire.

During the talks, the US military said two destroyers transited the critical waterway ahead of mine-clearing work, a first since the war began. Iran’s state media, however, reported the country’s joint military command denied that.

The impasse raises new questions about fighting in Lebanon. Israel pressed ahead with strikes after the ceasefire was announced, saying the agreement did not apply there. Iran and Pakistan claimed otherwise.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported six people were killed on Sunday morning in an Israeli strike in Maaroub, a village near the southern Lebanon’s coastal city Tyre.

Though Israel’s strikes over Beirut have calmed in recent days, its strikes on southern Lebanon have intensified alongside a ground invasion it renewed after Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel in the opening days of the Iran war.

Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to begin on Tuesday in Washington, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office has said, after Israel’s surprise announcement authorising talks despite the lack of official relations between the countries. Protests erupted over the planned negotiations in Beirut on Saturday.

Israel wants Lebanon’s government to assume responsibility for disarming Hezbollah, much like was envisaged in a November 2024 ceasefire. But the militant group has survived efforts to curb its strength for decades.

Hezbollah joined the war in support of Iran in the opening days. Israel followed with air strikes and a ground invasion.

The day the Iran ceasefire deal was announced, Israel pounded Beirut with air strikes, killing more than 300 people in the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began, according to the country’s health ministry.