US Overreach Blamed for Failure of Islamabad Iran Talks, Says American Professor

Robert A. Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago and security expert, stated that the United States’ excessive demands on Iran led to the failure of the indirect talks in Islamabad. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Washington’s insistence on Iran’s uranium stockpiles was the primary reason behind the collapse of these negotiations. According to this prominent American figure, the demands made by the US during the talks were unreasonable in his view and undermined the chances of reaching an agreement. Pape explicitly held the United States responsible for the final outcome of the negotiations. Senior Iranian delegates, taking into account previous negotiation experiences and what Tehran describes as repeated US breaches of trust, participated in this round of indirect talks mediated by Pakistan. However, according to the professor, disagreements over the issue of uranium stockpiles in Islamabad persisted and prevented progress in the talks.