After 12 hours of direct negotiations between the US and Iranian government delegations, the US Vice President has announced there is still no deal.
Vice-President J.D. Vance gave a Press Briefing in Islamabad, Pakistan, at around 6.30 a.m. local time and praised Pakistan as the intermediary for its efforts. Pakistan had earlier managed to convince the US and Iran to have a one-on-one meeting. The Pakistan Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, hosted the delegations.
US Non-negotiables
The VP considered it a positive development that the two sides managed to have substantive discussions. However, he said he was going back to the US with the bad news that no deal had been reached.
According to Vance, Iran has more to lose than the US under the circumstances. He said the US delegation had laid out the US government’s red lines and highlighted the issues they were not willing to compromise on. He also said they had pointed out the things they could agree on. Ultimately, he announced, Iran chose not to accept the US terms.
What exactly did Iran reject?
Vance then invited the media to ask questions. However, when asked to name the exact items Iran rejected, Vance said he was not ready to explain the details in public, because it would be like repeating the negotiations that just ended.
Still, he pointed out that the US wanted Iran’s commitment that the country would not develop a nuclear weapon. The US also wanted Iran’s commitment that it would not secure the means that would enable it to make a nuclear weapon quickly. Vance wound up by clarifying that the potential for Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon was the main issue for US President Donald Trump.
US Looking for Anticipatory Commitment
As if to pre-empt a pertinent question from the media, Vance quickly noted that the nuclear-making program Iran had before the war is now destroyed. Nevertheless, he said, the US wanted to see a “fundamental commitment of will” that Iran was not going to embark on a nuclear program not just in the near future, but in the long future ahead.
The World Paradox
While the US might have legitimate concerns over Iran’s potential handling of nuclear weapons, the question of who may or may not have nuclear weapons is still a myth to many people.
Already, nine countries, including the US and Israel, have nuclear weapons. Therefore, the obsession to have Iran’s commitment never to try to acquire a nuclear weapon may be confounding. At face value, it appears like a desperate attempt to close membership to an exclusive club.
Will Russia or China ever back the US on the Iran issue, especially considering that they, too, have nuclear weapons?