The alert about the ‘joint statement’ came as both sides made significant progress in the negotiations.
US Vice President JD Vance meets Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of 2026 Islamabad talks.
ISLAMABAD:
Local and international journalists were exhausted in the press center set up a stone’s throw from the Serena Hotel, where senior Iranian and American officials had held intense negotiations. The Jinnah Convention Center was directly opposite the five-star hotel, but proximity to the venue of the talks did not mean access to what was happening behind closed doors.
But it was around 3 in the morning when some officials present at the center were alerted. The message came from people inside the Serena Hotel: “Be prepared, there could be a joint statement.” Suddenly, officials who were on the brink of sleep had to become agile. But as night gave way to day, the possibility of a “joint statement” faded.
Instead, a message was conveyed to American journalists traveling with the American delegation that Vice President J.D. Vance would speak to the journalists.
Vance said he had “bad news” that talks between the United States and Iran had failed to reach an agreement. But that wasn’t the whole story.
The Express PAkGazette can now report, after interacting with relevant people and diplomatic sources, that both sides were close to agreeing on a framework before a last-minute setback. The alert about a “joint statement” arose from the progress made by both sides.
“The draft was ready to be signed,” a diplomatic source said, suggesting the agreement was missed by the slimmest of margins.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also confirmed that both sides were inches away from what he called the “Islamabad MoU” but, according to Iran’s top diplomat, the American side changed the situation and resorted to a maximalist position at the last minute.
Vance, before leaving Pakistan, insisted that Iran’s failure to give firm assurances that it would not pursue nuclear weapons led to the collapse of the talks.
It has now become known that the US side wanted Iran to give up uranium enrichment and all existing reserves.
The US side also considered that Iran was violating the ceasefire agreement by not reopening the Strait of Hormuz immediately.
The Iranian side, however, wanted assurances and remained skeptical that the United States could back down after Tehran gave up on the nuclear issue and reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
Another factor that prevented the two sides from signing on the dotted lines was the lack of communication between the Iranian side and the leaders at home for security reasons.
The American side, on the other hand, had the luxury of speaking with President Donald Trump during the negotiations. Vance confirmed that he spoke with Trump nearly a dozen times during the talks.
“This showed how close the two sides were. Otherwise, there would be no need for them (the US delegation) to talk to Trump so frequently,” a diplomatic source said.
The marathon talks may not have produced results, but they set the stage for future engagement.
The Iranian Foreign Minister characterized the talks as the most intense engagement with the United States since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“This is remarkable. Pakistan has done what others could not,” said another diplomat who was aware of the developments.
The Iranian ambassador to Pakistan also said that the “Islamabad talks” were not an event but a process that laid the framework for future engagements.
Senior Iranian and American officials may have met for 21 hours, but Pakistani interlocutors spent many more hours and days with all sides before the talks.
“A lot of homework was done during that period,” according to sources. “The way Pakistan managed to execute its plans, from security to organizing talks, was exceptional,” another diplomatic source acknowledged.
The key question now is: what will happen next?
“Diplomacy is not dead. There is a stalemate,” one source said.
Pakistan has not given up its efforts to reach a US-Iran deal.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who participated in the talks, reached out to key players including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey.
In telephone conversations with his counterparts, Dar stressed that both sides must adhere to the ceasefire and said Pakistan would continue to mediate between Iran and the United States in the coming days.
Diplomatic sources said senior officials from Egypt, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia would travel to Islamabad this week as part of efforts to prevent new hostilities in the region.
China is also in the mix. He supported the Islamabad talks and said he hoped all parties would seize the opportunity.
Even though the Islamabad talks did not live up to expectations, there is a feeling that all is not lost and that diplomacy still has a chance to succeed.
According to observers, President Trump’s threats to impose a naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz may simply be a tactical measure to pressure Iran into signing an agreement.
“The good thing is that the ceasefire is holding. We hope that before it ends, there will be progress on the diplomatic front,” a source said.
