U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said regarding cease-fire talks with Iran that "whether there will be further dialogue and the final agreement is entirely up to Iran." The first face-to-face talks ended without results, but it is seen as an intention to keep up pressure with the United States holding the initiative.
On the 13th local time, Vice President Vance said in an interview with Fox News, "We have already offered a lot," adding, "Now the ball is in Iran's court." He said he led the U.S. delegation in talks with Iran in Pakistan on the 11th–12th, but left the negotiating room after determining that the Iranian delegation did not have the authority to reach a final agreement.
Vice President Vance said, "The on-site negotiating team did not have the ability to reach an agreement and ultimately had to return to Tehran to secure the supreme leader's approval for the terms we presented." He added, "We have come to understand Iran's negotiating style to some extent, and that is why we walked away."
Still, he also assessed that there was some progress despite the breakdown. Vice President Vance said, "You can't simply say things went wrong," adding, "We conveyed the U.S. position very clearly, and that in itself is progress."
The United States was reported to have demanded in the talks that Iran ship out its highly enriched uranium and relinquish control over the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. media reported that the United States has continually demanded for the past 20 years that Iran halt uranium enrichment.
Meanwhile, regarding the public war of words between Pope Leo XIV, who opposes the Iran war, and President Donald Trump, Vice President Vance said, "When the Vatican voices opinions on public policy, it sometimes aligns with the U.S. government and sometimes diverges," adding, "It is inevitable that the two spheres will clash."