Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called on the United States and Iran to maintain their ceasefire and return to the negotiating table after high-level peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan broke down without a deal. The face-to-face meetings — described as the highest level of direct US-Iran engagement in decades — ended after a gruelling first day, with US Vice President JD Vance departing empty-handed and Iranian state media blaming "excessive" American demands. Wong described the outcome as "disappointing," warning that any escalation would deepen the humanitarian toll and further disrupt the global economy, which has already been shaken by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz (a critical waterway through which a significant share of the world's oil passes).