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It took 21 hours for the American negotiators in Islamabad to confirm what we\u2019ve known about the regime in Iran for the last 47 years. The IRGC won\u2019t ever negotiate in good faith.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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And this time, even J.D. Vance had enough. In a presser from Islamabad, the Vice President announced he would withdraw from talks after the Iranian regime refused to come off of their list of demands. Vance told reporters that he left our \u201cbest offer\u201d on the table and said it would be up to Iran to figure it out.<\/p>\n
\nNo deal reached, @VP<\/a> tells us after a marathon negotiation session with Iran pic.twitter.com\/ymq5GF33IX<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As Hugh Hewitt commented on X<\/a>, it\u2019s a replay of the Reykjavik conference between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. Reagan shocked the then-Soviet leader by walking away from the table rather than make a bad deal on arms limitations. The difference in this case is that Gorbachev was a rational leader who miscalculated Reagan\u2019s desire for a political win, but still understood the stakes involved,\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Iranians have never seemed to grasp reality. They believe themselves to be a superpower. Either that, or they just thought that Vance\u2019s rumored skepticism over the war would allow Abbas Araghchi to wear him down into making face-saving concessions as an off-ramp for Trump.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looks like they miscalculated Vance as well as Trump \u2026 for the second time in six weeks. They didn\u2019t even budge on nuclear enrichment<\/a>, the main issue that touched off the war when Araghchi refused to discuss it in February:<\/p>\n
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\n <\/p>\n\n\u201cBut the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,\u201d Vance told reporters. \u201cThat is the core goal of the president of the United States. And that\u2019s what we\u2019ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
It\u2019s not yet clear whether the entire team will leave Islamabad, or whether Vance will leave on his own. It doesn\u2019t matter much; the Iranians demanded Vance\u2019s attendance because they thought \u2013 probably correctly \u2013 that Vance wanted a deal more than Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, or even Trump himself. If Vance is leaving, Araghchi has to deal with an angry and motivated Witkoff instead while knowing that the most potentially sympathetic player on the American side has just left in a huff.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So what happens next? Perhaps talks will continue, but they won\u2019t go anywhere. Araghchi recently bragged that the regime likes to negotiate like \u201cbazaar merchants\u201d (his words<\/a>), stringing people along and essentially exhausting them. That only works when (a) the person really wants to buy the carpet, and (b) the merchant will agree to part with it. The Iranian regime isn\u2019t willing to sell anything, and Trump isn\u2019t all that concerned about buying anything other than his own shopping list. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n <\/p>\nMost likely, the collapse of the talks will result in one of two outcomes. Either the Iranians start coughing up their highly enriched uranium while trying to stall on their missile and proxy programs, or Trump will order up Bridge and Power Plant Day within the next few hours. Iran has already lost control of the Strait of Hormuz, so there\u2019s not much left for deterrent. As Vance said, the collapse of the talks is bad news for Iran, even if the regime still hasn\u2019t figured it out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Update:<\/strong> Here are Vance\u2019s remarks in full. He did saw that \u201cwe\u201d would go back to the US, so it seems that the talks are entirely over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nHere is the full remarks from Vice President JD Vance, announcing that the U.S.-Iran talks ended without an agreement.<\/p>\n
Contributed by @AZ_Intel_<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/NC9mrk9OYG<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It\u2019s interesting to hear Vance say that Trump sent them there to make the best effort to get a deal done. Trump would prefer to get the uranium out without more fighting. He just won\u2019t take a deal without the uranium, and the fact that the Iranian regime refuses to surrender it speaks volumes about their ambitions. There is no peaceful purpose for uranium enriched to 60% \u2013 none whatsoever. Whether the media reports it or not, everyone knows that. The mullahs want nukes, and they\u2019re willing to die to get them. That in itself is a decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n <\/p>\nUpdate:<\/strong> Vance didn\u2019t even take enough time to hit the coffee bar:<\/p>\n
\nVP JD Vance departed Islamabad immediately after the only four-minute press conference on the failed US-Iran talks and is now en route to Washington. pic.twitter.com\/JMfmlvr5bU<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) April 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That\u2019s a message in itself. The Iranians may be asking themselves why Vance is in such a rush to leave. And they should wonder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nEditor’s Note<\/em><\/strong>: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.<\/em><\/p>\n
Help us report the truth about the Trump administration\u2019s decisive actions to keep Americans safe and bring peace to the world. Join Hot Air VIP<\/strong><\/a> and use promo code FIGHT<\/strong><\/a> to get 60% off<\/strong><\/a> your membership!<\/em><\/p>\n
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