U.S. negotiators expected the talks with Iran yesterday to be a brief table-setting meeting to tee up future talks. Instead, it turned into continuous negotiations over 21 hours, according to a source familiar with the talks.
Vance went into these negotiations recognizing that the U.S. and Iran have interacted little over the last 50 years — a dynamic that could foster mistrust and misperceptions, a U.S. official familiar with the talks told NBC News. One of his primary goals was to reach mutual understanding of respective objectives and negotiating space.
This official characterized the talks as tough but said that by the end there was a friendly and productive exchange of proposals.
It was clear to Vance and the U.S. delegation, the official added, that Iranians did not understand the core U.S. objective: that any deal be anchored by an agreement that Iran never obtain a nuclear weapon.
Throughout the talks, Vance attempted to correct this misunderstanding and left Islamabad after delivering a best and final offer to Iran that he believed should be fair and acceptable to all parties.
Vance, the official added, also used the talks to probe the counterparties’ own assessment of their position and came away with the conclusion that they had misperceived their negotiating strength — that the Iranians believe they have leverage that the U.S. believes they lack.
This is why, the official said, Vance left Islamabad after delivering the final offer. The Iranians need to recognize that the realities on the ground do not reflect the assumptions they held when they arrived at the negotiations before they will be ready to entertain a serious offer, this person added.
Vance has said that a deal remains on the table and that it’s up to Iran to accept.
Meanwhile, the official said the national security team in consultation with Trump has devised a plan to break the Iranians’ closure on the Straits of Hormuz. They also aim to counter the notion that the straits can deflect from the core U.S. issue, which is the Iranian nuclear program.
According to the official, Vance is pragmatic, but not naive. He was hopeful of making a deal, but over the 21 hours of negotiation, Vance also probed Iran’s vulnerabilities, and now Trump will test them. It’s on Iran, the official said, to recognize the reality of the U.S. position.
The U.S. and Iran did not reach agreement on the following points:
- For Iran to end all uranium enrichment
- To dismantle all major nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran
- To retrieve highly enriched uranium from Iran
- To accept a broader peace, security and de-escalation framework that includes regional allies
- For Iran to end funding for its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis
- For Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz, charging no tolls for passage
The President very much wants this conflict to be over and behind him, but he’s demonstrated a willingness to restart it if necessary, according to a source close to the White House.
