Negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded in Islamabad on Sunday without a final agreement after roughly 21 hours of talks, though both sides acknowledged significant progress had been made. The talks, hosted by Pakistan amid a fragile two-week ceasefire following 40 days of conflict sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, saw senior delegations attend — including US Vice President J.D. Vance and Iran's foreign minister and parliament speaker — signalling that both parties were treating the process seriously. Pakistan's opposition party PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) expressed cautious optimism, noting that only a handful of issues remain unresolved and urging all parties to uphold the ceasefire while diplomacy continues, with key sticking points including Iran's nuclear programme and control over the Strait of Hormuz (a critical global oil shipping lane).