War on Iran: Why the Islamabad talks failed

War on Iran: Why the Islamabad talks failed Submitted by Sami Al-Arian on Mon, 04/13/2026 - 19:50 This was not a genuine negotiation, but an attempt by the Trump administration to impose its demands A Pakistani Ranger walks past a billboard for the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on 12 April 2026 (Farooq Naeem/AFP) On The Islamabad meeting between the United States and Iran did not collapse because diplomacy failed. It collapsed because the US came with an ultimatum, not an intention to negotiate. In the days leading up to the meeting, there were indications that the US had initially agreed to a broader ceasefire framework across the region, including Lebanon .