After a sleepless and at times tense night in Islamabad, Iranian and U.S. officials ended their highest-level talks in decades without a breakthrough, but 11 sources familiar with the negotiations said dialogue was still alive, Reuters reports.
The weekend meeting to resolve the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, held four days after last Tuesday's ceasefire announcement, was the first direct encounter between U.S. and Iranian officials in more than a decade and the most senior engagement since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Inside Islamabad's luxury Serena Hotel, the talks unfolded across two separate wings and one common area — one for the U.S. side, one for the Iranians and one for trilateral meetings involving Pakistani mediators, operational staff told Reuters.
Among the slew of issues at stake was the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit point for global energy supplies that Iran has effectively blocked but the U.S. has vowed to reopen, as well as Iran's nuclear programme and international sanctions on Tehran.
Phones were not allowed in the main room, forcing delegates, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, to step out during breaks to relay messages back home, two of the sources said.
"There was a strong hope in the middle of the talks that there would be a breakthrough and the two sides would reach an agreement. However, things changed within no time," a Pakistani government source said.
Another source involved in the talks said the parties came "very close" to an agreement and were "80% there", before running into decisions that could not be settled on the spot.
Two senior Iranian sources described the atmosphere as heavy and unfriendly, adding that while Pakistan tried to soften the mood, neither side showed any willingness to ease tensions.
