Islamabad Talks ... Balloon pricks :: Vance and his team leave :::: Opening of the Strait of Hormuz – the chokepoint ::: Iran says US made "excessive demands and unlawful requests"

"We've had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians, that's the good news. 

The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement and I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America," J D Vance says

"We just could not get to a situation where the Iranians would accept our terms," he said at a press conference in Islamabad.  

A sense of disappointment gripped Islamabad and it will be shared far beyond.

Crews working to take down signs marking the historic talks in Islamabad.

The vice president also shared his appreciation for Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, and said "whatever shortcomings" there were in the negotiations, "it wasn't because of the Pakistanis, who did an amazing job"

It was a short news conference with only a few questions asked by reporters

When asked about Iran's nuclear capacity, Vance replies that halting the country from having nuclear weapons both now and in the future is US President Donald Trump's "core goal"

He adds that Trump was involved in the talks and he spoke with the president anywhere from a "half dozen" or a "dozen times" during the negotiations

"We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that this is our final and best offer. We'll see if the Iranians accept it," he added.  

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency cited an “informed source” saying Iran is in no hurry to negotiate.

Tehran maintains that as long as the US does not agree to a “reasonable deal”, there will be no change in situation in the strait of Hormuz.

The opening of the strait of Hormuz – a chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s oil supply – is a primary demand of the US to end the war in Iran.  

Donald Trump himself earlier hinted about failure in talks.

In remarks on the White House lawn, a few hours before Vance's press conference in Islamabad, US President Donald Trump said America wins "regardless", and that he doesn't care about the outcome of negotiations.

He told media that whether or not a deal is reached with Iran "makes no difference to me".  

Moreover, Pakistan has deployed fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, its first visible military move under a mutual defence pact between the two countries.

Hosting the hyped ceasefire talks aimed at ending weeks of regional fighting between the US, Israel and Iran did not save Munir from sparing his men and ship.

The aircraft — a mix of fighter and support jets — landed at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on Saturday, the Saudi Ministry of Defence announced.  

The pact was signed during a visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Riyadh in Septembr 2025, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

Pakistan wanted to stay away from a military and combatant commitment as its economy is shaky. 

The deployment came under a collective defence agreement signed in September 2025, which commits each country to treat an attack on the other as an attack on itself.

The spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, has issued a statement on the status of the peace talks with the US.

In a post on social media, Baghaei describes the talks as "intensive", but says the success of ongoing negotiations "depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side".

Baghaei also calls on Washington to refrain from "excessive demands and unlawful requests" and to accept Iran's "legitimate rights and interests".

Among the topics he says are being discussed, are the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's nuclear program, and "a complete end to the war in Iran".