Vance Announces Iran Rejects US Terms, Trump Threatens Renewed Strikes
After 21 hours of marathon negotiations in Islamabad, Iran refused to abandon nuclear weapons development, leaving a fragile two-week ceasefire in immediate jeopardy.
After 21 hours of marathon negotiations in Islamabad, Vice President JD Vance announced Sunday that Iran refused to accept American terms, rejecting any commitment to abandon nuclear weapons development. President Trump warned that if no deal is reached, the United States will resume military strikes with "the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made."
"The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement," Vance told reporters in Islamabad. "And I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America."
The diplomatic collapse leaves a two-week ceasefire hanging in the balance. That ceasefire began April 7 and now faces immediate jeopardy. Vance stated the core US demand was 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."
Iran refused this non-negotiable red line, insisting on its right to peaceful nuclear activities including uranium enrichment. The Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, met with Vance's team at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad. Pakistan mediated the first direct US-Iran high-level talks in more than a decade.
"We were quite flexible. We were quite accommodating," Vance said of the US negotiating position. "We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer."
The vice president spoke with President Trump "a half dozen times, a dozen times" during the negotiations. That tight coordination stands in sharp contrast to the Obama administration's 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which permitted uranium enrichment while offering sanctions relief.
Iran's broader demands laid bare the regime's strategic ambitions. Tehran sought institutionalized control over the Strait of Hormuz with toll collection, lifting of all sanctions, war reparations, and an end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon — a package that would effectively monetize its grip on international waterways.
"The Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards," Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday, "other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways."
The Strait of Hormuz crisis continues to strangle global commerce. Twenty percent of the world's oil passes through the waterway, but only six or fewer ships transit daily versus 100 before the war. Iran charges up to $2 million per ship, accepting Bitcoin, stablecoins, and Chinese yuan to evade sanctions.
Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution to reopen the strait, handing Tehran its primary source of leverage despite the heavy military losses it has sustained.
Trump was unambiguous about what follows a failed deal. "We're loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made," he said. "And if we don't have a deal, we will be using them, and we will be using them very effectively."
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said US troops remain "prepared to restart at a moment's notice." Two US Navy destroyers have already transited the strait for mine-clearing operations. The White House asserts that Operation Epic Fury has destroyed 13,000-plus targets, 85 percent of Iran's defense industrial base, and 150 warships.
"Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me," Trump said. "The reason is because we've won. We're in very deep negotiations with Iran. We win regardless. We've defeated them militarily."
Expert analysis backed the administration's firm posture. Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Foundation for Defending Democracy's Nonproliferation Program, noted that uranium enrichment is "intrinsically tied to the ideology of the regime."
"This shows the US is not negotiating with chastened regime pragmatists," Stricker said. "The US team meant business and did not budge on their nuclear red lines, and should be commended."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei offered Tehran's counter-framing. "The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side," he posted on X, "refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran's legitimate rights and interests."
Thirteen US troops have died in Operation Epic Fury with 381 wounded. Iranian health ministry figures show more than 3,000 killed. The war began Feb. 28 with coordinated US-Israeli strikes targeting Iranian leadership and nuclear facilities.
The ceasefire's fate remains uncertain. Iran stated it has "no plans" for another round of talks, while Vance left the US offer on the table and acknowledged that Tehran showed no willingness to accept terms.
"We just could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms," Vance concluded. The administration's refusal to compromise on nuclear disarmament marks a fundamental break from prior policies of accommodation — and the next move belongs to Tehran.