ISLAMABAD, APR 12: Iran and the United States failed to strike a deal Sunday to end the war in the Middle East, but there was no immediate return to hostilities, and world leaders quickly urged both sides to pursue the diplomatic route to peace.

US Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan after the talks — the highest-level meeting between the two sides since 1979 — and warned that Washington had made Tehran its “final and best offer” for a deal.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said his negotiating team had “put forward constructive initiatives but ultimately the other side was unable to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations”.

Iranian and US reports said the two sides were unable to agree on who would control the Strait of Hormuz skipping lane, nor whether Tehran would have the right to enrich uranium under any deal.

As talks ended without a deal in Islamabad, world figures urged the United States and Iran to keep negotiating to end the war in the Middle East.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, whose government hosted the talks and acted as a mediator, said that it is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to the ceasefire.

“Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagement and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come,” he said in a brief statement broadcast by state media.

Diplomacy is “essential” to resolve the war in the Middle East, a European Union spokesman said.

Noting failed US-Iranian talks hosted by Pakistan, EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni said “we salute Pakistan for its mediation efforts” and added Brussels would contribute to further efforts to reach a settlement in coordination with its partners.

A man rides his motorbike past a billboard installed alongside a road as as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to hold peace talks in Islamabad, April 11, 2026. — Reuters
A man rides his motorbike past a billboard installed alongside a road as as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to hold peace talks in Islamabad, April 11, 2026. — Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that he was ready to help mediate efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East, the Kremlin said.

“Vladimir Putin emphasised his readiness to further facilitate the search for a political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict, and to mediate efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.

UK health minister Wes Streeting said: “It’s obviously disappointing that we haven’t yet seen a breakthrough in negotiations and an end to this war in Iran that is a sustainable one.”

“As ever in diplomacy, you´re failing until you succeed. So while these talks may not have ended in success, [it] doesn’t mean there isn´t merit in continuing to try,” he added.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that the “priority now must be to continue the ceasefire and return to negotiations,” adding it was “disappointing that the Islamabad talks between the United States and Iran have ended without agreement”.