Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas said Iran engaged in good faith during the discussions but faced "maximalism, shifting goalposts and blockade" from the US side, which led to the collapse of the talks
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. Pic/AFP
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said "zero lessons earned" after hours of negotiations between the United States and Iran held in Pakistan on the "Islamabad MoU" ended in a stalemate, despite being close to a breakthrough. He said Iran engaged in good faith during the discussions but faced "maximalism, shifting goalposts and blockade" from the US side, which led to the collapse of the talks.
In a post on X, Araghchi wrote, "In intensive talks at the highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with the US in good faith to end the war. But when just inches away from "Islamabad MoU", we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade. Zero lessons earned. Good will begets goodwill. Enmity begets enmity."
Meanwhile, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said that recent threats issued by US President Donald Trump have "no effect on the Iranian nation," even as he signalled cautious progress in ongoing engagements between Iran and the United States. According to remarks carried by Iranian state media and reported by Al Jazeera, Ghalibaf said Tehran had presented "very good initiatives" during talks with Washington, contributing to forward movement in the dialogue process.
Ghalibaf said, "Trump's recent threats have no effect on the Iranian nation and issued a warning to the US president, saying, if you fight, we will fight, and if you come forward with logic, we will deal with logic." "We will not bow to any threats; let them test our will once again so that we can teach them a bigger lesson", he further said, reiterating Iran's firm stance against external pressure.
In intensive talks at highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with U.S in good faith to end war.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 12, 2026
But when just inches away from "Islamabad MoU", we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade.
Zero lessons earned
Good will begets good will.
Enmity begets enmity.
The remarks came after hours of negotiations between the United States and Iran in Islamabad ended in a stalemate on Sunday. US Vice President JD Vance said that no agreement had been reached despite extensive discussions. He added that while the US delegation would return without a deal, the outcome was "bad news for Iran" more than for the United States.
Addressing reporters in Islamabad, Vance said that negotiations lasted around 21 hours and included several substantive discussions but failed to yield a final conclusion. "We've had a number of substance agreements with the Iranians- that is the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. That is bad news for Iran, much more than it is bad news for the United States of America." "We go back to the United States having not come to an agreement", Vance said.
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