The United States and Iran failed to reach a peace agreement after 21 hours of talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, leaving doubt over the future of a fragile two-week ceasefire. Both sides have blamed each other for the breakdown of negotiations. U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, said Iran rejected Washington’s final and best offer to end the conflict.

He indicated that Tehran’s reluctance to abandon its nuclear programme was one of the major sticking point. On the other hand, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian team, said it is up to the United States to decide whether it could earn our trust or not.

Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry accused the US of making excessive and illegal demands during the talks. The failure to reach an agreement has dimmed the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise the global energy market.