US can't secure Hormuz through...: Iran's point-by-point response to Vance after Islamabad talks collapse

Iran has issued a point-by-point rebuttal to US Vice President JD Vance after talks in Islamabad ended without an agreement, challenging Washington's stance on key demands, including the Strait of Hormuz and nuclear commitments.

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"You cannot secure through diplomacy what you failed to gain through military aggression," Iran's embassy in Japan said in a post on X.

It also rejected Vance's characterisation of the talks, saying the assertion of a "best and final offer" was "inherently reciprocal" and "cannot be a unilateral mandate or a weapon to be used by one side".

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The embassy criticised Vance's remark that Iran had refused US terms. "JD Vance's statement that 'they have chosen not to accept our terms,' which attempts to force the other party to accept demands they successfully resisted on the battlefield, is coercive logic," it said.

The embassy further added that throughout this process, the provocations were initiated by the other side, not by Iran.

The response came hours after another Iranian post, from its embassy in Ghana, mocked the US position. "The US flew its Vice President halfway across the world to Islamabad. 21 hours of talks. They demanded everything they couldn't achieve through war. Iran said a BIG NO," it said. "The talks are over. The Strait is still closed. And the VP is flying home empty-handed."

The comments follow more than 21 hours of direct talks between the US and Iranian delegations aimed at ending the war in Iran. Vance suggested that a commitment from Tehran not to seek nuclear weapons was the core goal. However, Tehran didn't agree. 

"We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and that they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon," Vance said. 

Vance said the discussions were "substantive" but failed to yield a deal. "The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement," he said, adding that Iran had "chosen not to accept our terms".

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, said the talks covered the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear issues, sanctions relief, and an end to the war. "In the past 24 hours, various aspects of the main issues of the negotiations, including the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, the lifting of sanctions, and a complete end to the war against Iran and in the region, were discussed."

Baqaei said the success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and goodwill of the other party, "refraining from excessive and illegal demands, and accepting Iran's legitimate rights and interests."