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The two delegations arrived hours apart and left the same way, without a deal. In the 21 hours between, the US and Iran edged closer to a structured diplomatic exchange than at any point in recent years.
Yet the gap remained wide mainly on the nuclear issue and the Strait of Hormuz, and there is now no clarity on the next round of negotiations, as the world holds its breath with just 10 days left before the current ceasefire expires.
The US said it had left a deal on the table, while Iran insisted that “diplomacy never ends”, adding that consultations with Pakistan and other “friendly neighbouring” countries would continue.
Here is how the talks unfolded, and what comes next:
Handshakes and messages
The Iranian delegation touched down at night amid heavy security. The US delegation followed hours later. By the afternoon, both sides had met separately with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif before sitting down together for the first time.
What followed was unusual in both form and ambition. The early direct sessions included Pakistan's army chief, a three-way format that indicated Islamabad's determination to be more than a host and a venue.
Talks then shifted to expert and technical working groups, with both delegations closeted in separate rooms while intermediaries carried messages back and forth.
Iranian state media reported “progress” and “detailed technical work”. There were moments, sources said, when optimism genuinely prevailed. Written proposals were exchanged. The talks paused, resumed and paused again.
The gap, however, remained. Both sides had arrived with competing blueprints for peace: Iran with a 10-point proposal, the US with its own 15-point framework. Both plans were widely seen as opening negotiating positions rather than final demands.
Deal-breakers
Washington focused on a narrow mandate: to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump had framed the talks in blunt terms, saying Iran had “no cards” beyond its ability to disrupt global shipping. US negotiators, Vice President JD Vance, alongside envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, stuck to that frame throughout.
Mr Vance said the team spoke to Mr Trump “a dozen times, maybe” throughout the process, underscoring the US administration’s keenness to secure a deal and bring an end to decades of adversarial ties between the two countries.
Tehran brought a broader agenda. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that any durable agreement must specifically address Lebanon to guarantee protecting Hezbollah against Israeli strikes. They also sought concrete progress on sanctions relief before committing to anything on the nuclear file.
“The nuclear issue and control of the Strait of Hormuz remain key sticking points,” Iranian state media reported. Tehran is refusing to abandon uranium enrichment and is seeking to use its control of the strait to its advantage, including by charging vessels for transit.
Behind the scenes, US forces began preparing to clear sea mines from the Strait of Hormuz, whether as part of an emerging deal or unilateral pressure was left unclear. Israeli media reported that Israel had agreed to hold back from striking Beirut unless a specific threat materialised, co-ordinating any action with Washington, a partial concession to Iranian demands that may have come too late to matter.
What is next
Twenty-one hours after talks began, Mr Vance stepped before cameras, announcing that the US delegation was heading home. Iran, he said, had “decided not to accept our terms”.
Tehran's response was to blame Washington's “excessive demands” for blocking any agreement, saying the talks had ended without even a basic framework in place. “Repeated US demands derailed progress at every stage,” it claimed.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged both sides to respect the ceasefire that expires on April 22, and pledged that Islamabad would continue mediating. No date, location, or format has been set for the next round of talks.
The failure in Islamabad does not necessarily mean the end of diplomacy. Both sides showed up, talked directly, and exchanged written positions, steps that would have seemed unlikely not long ago. The ceasefire remains in place, giving negotiators a narrow window.
