The United States and Iran have failed to reach a deal to end the ongoing conflict in the Middle East after 21 hours of negotiations.

The talks, which concluded in the early hours of Sunday, April 12, in Islamabad, Pakistan, were confirmed by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who said both sides remained deadlocked on key issues despite prolonged discussions.

The two sides had earlier agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8 in an effort to halt the conflict involving Iran and a combined force of Israel and the United States, which began on February 28 and has since disrupted global energy supplies.

Negotiations began earlier over the weekend in Islamabad and were initially described as a significant diplomatic breakthrough, bringing together senior U.S. officials, including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, alongside an Iranian delegation led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Speaking after the talks, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said, “We go back to the United States having not come to an agreement.”

“We’ve made very clear what our red lines are, what things we’re willing to accommodate them on, and what things we’re not willing to accommodate them on. And we’ve made that as clear as we possibly could, and they have chosen not to accept our terms,” He added.

After 39 days of war, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, brokered with the mediation of Pakistan and supported by China.

The ceasefire agreement, reached after 39 days of war, was brokered with the mediation of Pakistan and support from China.

However, the deal has been widely described as fragile.

Pakistani officials have claimed that Lebanon was also included in the agreement due to ongoing Israeli operations there, a position strongly denied by Israel and U.S. officials, who say the ceasefire does not extend to that front.

The truce also came just hours before a deadline reportedly set by U.S. President Donald Trump, who had warned of severe consequences if Iran failed to return to negotiations, heightening pressure on all parties to reach a temporary pause in hostilities.