US-Iran Ceasefire Talks in Pakistan End Without Deal

US Vice President JD Vance led a high-level American delegation to Islamabad on Saturday for direct talks with Iranian officials aimed at securing a lasting ceasefire in the ongoing Middle East conflict, but the discussions concluded without a final agreement. The negotiations, hosted by Pakistan in its capital, marked the highest-level face-to-face engagement between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and focused on resolving tensions that have disrupted global shipping and caused thousands of deaths.

Vance arrived at Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, aboard a US Air Force aircraft escorted by Pakistani F-16 fighter jets. He was joined by President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Iranian delegation, headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, had arrived earlier that morning. Both sides met separately with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, with the talks unfolding in direct and indirect formats over approximately 20 hours at a secure location in the fortified capital.

The discussions covered critical issues,...