Entering marathon talks with Iran in Pakistan over the weekend, the US seemed to have had its sights set on hammering out a quick agreement.
But the expectation that an agreement could be hammered out in one day was never a reasonable one.
“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,” said Vice President JD Vance, who led the talks, after the parley fell apart following a single marathon session.
Both the US and Iran are declaring victory, which is to be entirely expected. But it seems that both sides actually believe their own bluster, meaning neither is willing to give up much.
Washington maintains that it obliterated Iran on the battlefield and has insisted on the type of concessions it thinks should come with a redounding victory. But Iran contends that it did not lose, and is not about to accept US diktats that it feels reach beyond whatever gains America may have achieved in its joint bombing campaign with Israel.
Published originally on April 13, 2026.
Read the full article at the Times of Israel.
