What we know about why face-to-face talks with Iran fell through

Earlier than U.S. negotiators may take off for a second spherical of face-to-face talks with Iran, the Trump administration’s hopes for a fast diplomatic breakthrough got here crashing down when the Iranian regime didn’t return messages seen as essential to setting the stage for a deal, a number of officers and different sources inform ABC Information. 

Within the days earlier than the two-week ceasefire between the international locations was set to finish, sources say that the U.S. floated a listing of broad factors it hoped Iranian officers would approve of earlier than a second assembly in Islamabad. 

Either side had been swapping messages and proposals, however because the deadline drew nearer, communication began to lag. By Tuesday afternoon, with simply hours till the ceasefire’s expiration, Iran had nonetheless not submitted a response to the administration’s record or supplied any assurance it will ship a high-level delegation to the talks, the sources stated. 

At this level, Air Drive Two — which had been readied to move Vice President JD Vance to Pakistan — had been sitting empty on a Joint Base Andrews tarmac for hours. The federal government aircraft that had been slated to hold the opposite lead negotiators, particular envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had been redirected to Washington so all three may huddle on the White Home with the president and his different high advisers.

Officers briefed on the assembly stated it was shortly obvious that the talks couldn’t go ahead as deliberate, however that Trump in the end elected to offer diplomacy extra time to play out. 

Simply after 4 p.m., Trump introduced in a submit on his social media platform that he had determined to increase the ceasefire till the “significantly fractured” authorities of Iran may submit “a unified proposal” and “discussions are concluded, come what may.” 

The Trump administration assesses that these fractures amongst Iran’s management are behind the dearth of response to its proposed phrases, officers stated, and that severe issues in regards to the regime’s capacity to unify behind any diplomatic settlement with the U.S. has been an undercurrent by means of negotiations following the outbreak of conflict with Iran. 

Sources with information of the negotiations say there are nonetheless main gaps between the perimeters on key points — significantly what to do about Iran’s stockpile of extremely enriched uranium, whether or not Iran will likely be allowed to complement uranium sooner or later and below what circumstances. 

Pakistan has emerged because the lead mediator within the talks, however one Pakistani official instructed ABC Information that these excellent variations between the U.S. and Iranian positions seem insurmountable. 

Nonetheless, Trump administration officers preserve there’s a risk {that a} deal will be reached and say that the U.S. remains to be awaiting Iran’s counterproposal. 

Trump has not stated for a way lengthy he would prolong the ceasefire and the White Home declined on Wednesday to publicly set any deadline. 

“Look, I feel President Trump in the end will dictate the timeline, and he’ll achieve this when he feels is in one of the best curiosity of america and the American folks,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Wednesday. 

Trump himself additionally seemed to be downplaying the concept time stress was at play within the negotiations — however implied the continued U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports would carry the regime to the desk. 

“The blockade scares them much more than the bombing,” he instructed Fox Information. “They have been bombed for years however the blockade, they hate.”

ABC’s Mary Bruce, Isabella Murray, Michelle Stoddart and Emily Chang contributed to this report.