Photo credit: Vice President Vance X

Efforts to break the long-standing deadlock over Iran’s nuclear program have once again fallen short, after U.S. Vice President JD Vance confirmed that recent negotiations ended without any agreement.

Speaking during Pakistan-mediated talks in Islamabad, Vance described the discussions as productive but ultimately unsuccessful.

“We’ve had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That’s the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement — and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America.”

The statement confirms that while dialogue between Washington and Tehran remains active, both sides remain far apart on key issues, particularly Iran’s nuclear activities and compliance expectations.

The latest round of talks comes amid continued international concern over Iran’s expanding nuclear program. Western governments have repeatedly warned about increased uranium enrichment levels and reduced cooperation with international inspectors, while Iran insists its program is strictly for peaceful purposes.

Diplomatic efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement — formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — have struggled since the United States withdrew from the accord in 2018. Since then, negotiations have continued intermittently through indirect channels and third-party mediation, but progress has remained limited.

While the Islamabad discussions were seen as one of the more structured recent engagements, no breakthrough was achieved, and both sides continue to hold firm to their positions.

Analysts say the outcome underscores the deep mistrust between Washington and Tehran, and suggests that any near-term revival of the nuclear deal remains unlikely.