After an intense 21-hour negotiation in Islamabad, Pakistan, Vice President JD Vance delivered a somber update to the press: the talks with what remains of the Iranian regime have ultimately failed.

Vance revealed that the Iranians were unwilling to commit to abstaining from future nuclear weapon pursuits, despite their current nuclear capacity being dismantled during Operation Epic Fury. The American delegation, led by Vance, is now set to leave Pakistan after extending a final offer to Iran, which seems unlikely to be accepted.

In response to further inquiries, Vance highlighted the difficulty in securing any long-term assurances from Iran regarding its nuclear ambitions, even though the United States, he noted, had been “quite accommodating.”

In reflecting on the negotiations, it seems clear that President Donald Trump did not anticipate a successful outcome. His earlier dismissal of the talks on Saturday was a clear indicator. So, why proceed with negotiations when the regime was likely to remain entrenched in its apocalyptic mindset? The answer seems to be about fulfilling a procedural obligation—demonstrating that attempts were made before escalating the situation anew.

Since the so-called “ceasefire” was declared, a term I use cautiously given Iran’s blatant violations, the regime has persistently brandished its military prowess rather than seeking de-escalation following a month of devastation. They’ve claimed victory, seemingly reliant on social media strategies and online memes to support their cause. However, relying solely on digital bravado seems misguided.

As I’ve noted previously, Trump has a penchant for deal-making and likely desires a peaceful resolution. However, more than his love for making deals, Trump detests embarrassment. Sending his team to Pakistan to capitulate to Iran by unfreezing assets and lifting sanctions would have been a monumental embarrassment, something Trump was never going to allow, despite Iran’s leadership seemingly believing they held leverage.

In later questioning, Vance specifically mentioned not being able to garner any long-term commitments regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions despite describing the United States as being “quite accommodating.”

CBS’s @JenniferJJacobs: “Was there a framework on anything, and also, did the Iranian frozen assets come up, and did you reach any conclusions on those frozen assets?”

Vice President Vance: “We talked about all those issues, Jen, and we talked about a number of issues beyond… pic.twitter.com/PQuwtWruuA

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 12, 2026

VANCE: But again, we just could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms. I think that we were quite flexible. We were quite accommodating. The President told us, “You need to come here in good faith and make your best effort to get a deal.” We did that, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to make any headway.

The second-to-last sentence in the above excerpt tells the tale, in my opinion. I don’t think President Donald Trump expected these talks to succeed, something his pretty obvious dismissal of them earlier on Saturday likewise signaled. So why hold these talks if the regime was obviously going to remain locked in its apocalyptic, delusional stupor? To check the box. To say we tried before cranking things back up. 

Since the moment the “ceasefire” was announced, and I use quotes around that word on purpose because Iran has blatantly violated it multiple times, the regime has arrogantly rattled its saber. Instead of seeking some form of de-escalation after a month of destruction, they’ve declared victory, apparently believing they can win this conflict on the backs of social media engagement farming and online memes. I wouldn’t count on that, though. 

As I’ve said before, Trump likes to make deals, and I think he legitimately wants an off-ramp here. But what Trump hates more than he likes deals is being embarrassed, and to have his team go to Pakistan and bend the knee to Iran on things like unfreezing assets and lifting sanctions would have been a legacy-defining embarrassment. That was never going to happen, even if Iran’s leadership seemed to believe they had the upper hand.

With the recent news that the US Navy is now navigating the Strait of Hormuz and that a new shipping lane has been established, Iran is in the process of losing its final point of leverage. That was always inevitable. A highly depleted terrorist regime was never going to be able to maintain its blockade, which was already largely dependent on threats vs. real capabilities. With oil shipments moving again, Iran has nowhere left to go. They can stick their head in the sand and keep posting statements for the online bot farms, or they can join the rest of us in reality. 

I suspect they’ll do the former, and the shooting will start again soon enough, and this time, the group of Iranian leaders who have been allowed to survive this conflict for practical reasons, including the loud-mouthed foreign minister, may not enjoy that protection anymore. 

Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.