2 Reasons Why US-Iran Talks Failed, According To Donald Trump

Hours after the US-Iran talks in Pakistan failed, US President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that Tehran's insistence on not giving up its "nuclear ambitions" derailed the peace initiative. He also said that Iran went back on its promise to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran had laid mines in the waters, effectively making the passage of ships impossible.

Announcing a blockade of the maritime chokepoint crucial for the world's oil supply, the US President announced that his country's navy will "interdict" any vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran for passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

"So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not. Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz. At some point, we will reach an "ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT" basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen by merely saying, "There may be a mine out there somewhere," that nobody knows about but them. THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas. We will also begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits. Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!" he said, adding that Iran wants to profit from what he called "an illegal act of extortion".

Trump claimed the Iranians want money and nuclear weapons, but the US armed forces are "locked and loaded" to finish "the little that is left of Iran".

The US President further claimed that during the peace talks -- which went on for over 20 hours -- Iran was "unyielding" as to giving up their nuclear ambitions. 

"The meeting with Iran began early in the morning, and lasted throughout the night - Close to 20 hours. I could go into great detail, and talk about much that has been gotten but, there is only one thing that matters - IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS! In many ways, the points that were agreed to are better than us continuing our Military Operations to conclusion, but all of those points don't matter compared to allowing Nuclear Power to be in the hands of such volatile, difficult, unpredictable people. My three Representatives, as all of this time went by, became, not surprisingly, very friendly and respectful of Iran's Representatives, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi, and Ali Bagheri, but that doesn't matter because they were very unyielding as to the single most important issue and, as I have always said, right from the beginning, and many years ago, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!" he said.

Earlier today, US Vice President JD Vance, who led the Washington delegation, said they didn't receive an affirmative commitment that Iran will not seek nuclear weapons. 

"Their nuclear programs, such as it is, the enrichment facilities that they had before, they've been destroyed," he added. 

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said on Sunday that the US's "unreasonable demands" led to the standoff. 

"The Iranian delegation negotiated continuously and intensively for 21 hours to protect the national interests of the Iranian people; despite various initiatives from the Iranian delegation, the unreasonable demands of the American side prevented the progress of the negotiations. Thus, the negotiations ended," IRIB said on Telegram.

The United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. In retaliation against the attack, Iran attacked US positions in the Middle East and blocked the vital Strait of Hormuz, triggering an energy crisis across the world, including India.