Ball in Iran's court: Vance says US put a lot on table, Tehran must decide next

Twenty-one hours of negotiations. A historic first between the two governments at this level. And yet, no deal. Now, US Vice President JD Vance says the next move belongs entirely to Tehran.

The Islamabad peace talks over the weekend ended without an agreement, with Washington maintaining that Iran refused to give up its right to enrich nuclear fuel. But Vance, who led the US delegation, pushed back against the idea that the talks were a failure.

"I wouldn't just say that things went wrong. I also think things went right. We made a lot of progress," Vance told Fox News.

He acknowledged that Iran had shifted its position during the discussions, but not enough. "They moved in our direction, which is why I think we would say that we had some good signs, but they didn't move far enough," he said.

Vance led a delegation that included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Across the table sat Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

On what a potential agreement could look like, Vance said that if America's "red lines" on Iran's nuclear ambitions are met, "then this can be a very, very good deal for both countries."

"Whether we have further conversations, whether we ultimately get to a deal, I really think the ball is in the Iranian court, because we put a lot on the table," he said.

Why the talks broke down

Vance offered a revealing explanation for why the negotiations ultimately stalled. He said the Iranian team present in Islamabad simply did not have the authority to finalise anything on their own.

"What we figured out is that they were unable, I think, the team that was there, was unable to cut a deal," he explained. "They had to go back to Tehran, either from the supreme leader or somebody else, and actually get approval to the terms that we had set."

No room on nuclear weapons

Vance was unequivocal on one point. He said he agreed 100 per cent with President Donald Trump that Iran cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons.

"I 100 per cent agree with @POTUS on the fact that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon... If they're willing to engage in economic terrorism on the entire world, what would it mean, what leverage would they have, if they had a nuclear bomb in Tehran," he said.

Despite the breakdown, Vance noted that the talks were historic, the first time the two governments had met at such a high level. "So that's, I think, a positive, and again, we did make some progress in the negotiation," he said.

On rising energy prices, Vance acknowledged the strain on American consumers. "We know the American people are hurting, that's why we're negotiating so aggressively to try to get the energy prices to come down. We're going to keep on working at it," he said, adding that the pain would not last forever.