Diplomatic hopes for a swift breakthrough evaporated just before U.S. envoys were to head to a second round of in-person talks with Iran, after Tehran failed to return messages Washington viewed as essential to moving negotiations forward, multiple officials told ABC News.
In the days leading up to the end of a two-week ceasefire, U.S. officials circulated a short list of broad points they wanted Iran to agree to before meeting again in Islamabad. The sides had been exchanging messages and proposals, but as the deadline neared the back-and-forth slowed. By Tuesday afternoon—hours before the ceasefire was due to expire—Iran had not provided a response to the U.S. list or given assurances it would send a high-level delegation, sources said.
Air Force Two, which had been prepared to fly Vice President J.D. Vance to Pakistan, remained on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews for hours. The government plane that was to carry special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner was rerouted back to Washington so the three could consult with the president and senior advisers at the White House. Officials said it became apparent the Islamabad talks could not go forward as planned, but President Trump opted to give diplomacy additional time.
Shortly after 4 p.m., Trump announced he was extending the ceasefire until Iran’s fractured leadership could present what he called a unified proposal and until “discussions are concluded, one way or the other.” The administration attributes the lack of a timely response in part to divisions inside Iran’s government and has long been wary of the regime’s ability to coalesce around any agreement since the war began.
U.S. and Iranian positions remain far apart on several core issues, officials said—most notably Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, whether and under what conditions Iran could carry out enrichment in the future, and related safeguards. Pakistan has taken the lead as mediator, but a Pakistani official told ABC News the outstanding differences look, at present, insurmountable.
U.S. officials maintain a deal is still possible and say they are waiting for Iran’s counterproposal. The administration has not set a public deadline for the extended ceasefire; White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president will determine the timeline when he believes it serves U.S. interests. Trump also suggested the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports increases pressure on the regime, saying it alarms Tehran even more than bombing.
ABC’s Mary Bruce, Isabella Murray, Michelle Stoddart and Emily Chang contributed to this report.