Since Sunday morning, when negotiations in Islamabad between the United States and Iran ended without an agreement, and through to Tuesday evening, there has been no settlement on the core disputed files. Yet the overall picture has shifted at the level of rhetoric and diplomatic movement.
What initially looked like a breakdown that could close the track has since given way to a different tone. Washington, Tehran and the mediators have each, in their own way, returned to language that keeps the door open for a second round, even though its timing and location remain under discussion.
Saturday’s round in the Pakistani capital was unusual in both form and duration. It lasted around 21 hours and was described as the highest level of direct contact between the two sides since 1979. It ended without a breakthrough on Hormuz, the nuclear programme or sanctions.
At the close of the talks, US Vice President JD Vance said Washington had left after presenting its “last and best offer”, creating the initial impression that the negotiations had run into a hard wall.
What Changed After the Talks Failed?
What changed afterwards began with the American language itself. The following day, Vance said the United States had “made a lot of progress” and that the next step now depended on Iran.
Later, the White House told Al Jazeera that the next round was still “under discussion” and that no date had yet been set. At the same time, the Associated Press reported, citing American officials, that a new direct round was being prepared and could take place this week.
This shift does not suggest any change in the American conditions. What it does suggest is that Washington moved from presenting the setback as the end of a round to framing it as a stoppage that could still be resumed.
Tehran, for its part, did not present what happened as a final collapse of the track. Iran’s state news agency IRNA quoted a diplomatic source on Tuesday saying that the exchange of messages between Iran and Pakistan was still ongoing, and that no official decision had yet been taken on holding a new round, whether in Islamabad or elsewhere.
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, also said that the Islamabad talks were “a process that can create a sustainable framework for the interests of all parties”, indicating that Tehran sees the first round as part of an open process rather than a closed chapter.
In the same context, the head of the Iranian delegation, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said after the Islamabad talks that the United States had failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation “in this round of negotiations”. The wording itself kept the political possibility of later rounds intact.
In the same statement, he added that Washington had understood Tehran’s logic and negotiating rules, and now had to decide whether it wanted to earn Iran’s trust.
Pakistan Moves Fast to Revive the Track
Pakistan was the party quickest to turn failure into an attempt at revival. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that “all efforts” were still continuing. Reuters and the Associated Press then reported, citing Pakistani officials, that Islamabad had proposed hosting a second round and had received a positive response in principle from Iran.
Axios also reported that Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey were working to narrow the gaps before the current ceasefire ends on 21 April.
What has happened over the past two days, then, is not a change in the substance of the dispute. It is a shift from managing failure to preparing for a possible resumption.
What Is New in the Expected Negotiations?
The main development so far is that a return to talks appears likely, but no final date has been fixed. Reuters reported, citing sources involved in the contacts, that the delegations had kept Friday, Saturday and Sunday open. The Associated Press said Thursday was also among the dates under discussion.
As for the venue, Islamabad is no longer the only option on the table, even if it remains the most prominent in Pakistani and Iranian leaks.
Reuters and the Associated Press kept Islamabad at the centre of reporting, while Geneva also appeared among the possible alternatives. US President Donald Trump, however, said in an interview with the New York Post that Washington was more inclined to go to Islamabad. He said the talks should remain there, adding that something could happen within the next two days.
The Core Disputes Have Not Narrowed
At the level of substance, there is no indication that the central gaps have narrowed. Vance had earlier stressed that the core American condition was stripping Iran of the ability to enrich uranium and removing enriched uranium from the country.
On the Iranian side, MP Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of the expert body accompanying the Iranian delegation, posted on X that the reasons no agreement was reached came down to three American demands: a share in the benefits of the Strait of Hormuz, the removal of uranium enriched to 60 per cent, and the suspension of Iran’s enrichment rights for 20 years. Nabavian deleted the post minutes after publishing it.
The result is that what has changed since Sunday morning is not the substance of the disagreements, but the way they are being managed and presented.
Washington has stepped back from the language of a “last and best offer” and moved towards the language of “progress” and a “round under discussion”. Tehran has shifted from directly blaming Washington for the setback to emphasising the continuation of message exchanges and refusing to close the door. Pakistan, alongside other mediators, has worked to reinforce the idea that what failed in Islamabad was a first round, not the entire track.
A Second Round Looks Possible, But Nothing Decisive Is Settled
The clearest development in the negotiations so far is the existence of an evident readiness for a second round. Set against that, however, are three unresolved questions: no final date, no final venue, and no workable formula yet capable of narrowing the gaps over Hormuz, the nuclear file and sanctions.
For now, the process remains alive, but only in form. The dispute itself is still where it was when the first round ended.
