Vance says Iran rejected US terms and no nuclear deal was reached

Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that high-stakes negotiations between the United States and Iran ended without a deal after Iranian officials refused to accept American terms.

Speaking at a news conference from the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, Vance said Iran had “chosen not to accept our terms.”

“The bad news is we haven’t reached an agreement,” Vance said. “And I think that’s much more bad news for Iran than it is for the United States of America.”

The vice president said discussions with Iranian officials lasted 21 hours, calling them “substantive discussions” but adding that the United States was not willing to compromise on its “red lines.”

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Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives of Pakistan and Iran, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Swimming Pool)

“So we’re going back to the United States, without reaching an agreement. We’ve made it clear what our red lines are, where we’re willing to accommodate them and where we’re not willing to accommodate them,” Vance added. “And we made it as clear as possible, and they chose not to accept our terms.”

Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell asked Vance if he had been in contact with President Donald Trump during the talks, and the vice president said he had been “constantly.”

“I don’t know how many times we’ve talked to him — a half-dozen times, a dozen times in the last 21 hours,” Vance said, adding that the U.S. team was also communicating with other members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

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Vice President JD Vance walks with Chief of Pakistan Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, U.S. Embassy Charge d’affaires Natalie A. Baker and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 11, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/Reuters)

“So, look, we were in constant communication with the team because we were negotiating in good faith,” Vance said. “And we leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding which is our last and best offer. We will see if the Iranians accept it.”

Vance arrived in Pakistan early Saturday to lead high-stakes negotiations with Iran aimed at preserving the fragile ceasefire announced by Trump earlier this week and preventing a broader regional war.

Vance was joined by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, in a high-level delegation engaging Iranian officials in Islamabad.

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Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport April 8, 2026, in Budapest, Hungary. The White House said Vance would lead the U.S. delegation in upcoming peace talks with Iran and was in Hungary to support Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12. (Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were negotiating for Iran.

Although Vance declined to specify what conditions Iran rejected, he said the United States was seeking assurances that Iran would not develop a nuclear weapon.

“The simple fact is that we need an affirmative commitment that they will not seek nuclear weapons, and they will not seek the tools that would allow them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “That’s the main goal of the president of the United States. And that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”

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The talks took place a month after the United States launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28.

Preston Mizell and Morgan Phillips of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.