Netanyahu Intervened? Tehran Claims Israel PM’s Call to JD Vance Sabotaged US-Iran Breakthrough
Tehran claims Israeli PM Netanyahu derailed US-Iran talks in Islamabad via a call to VP JD Vance. This collapse strains a fragile ceasefire with nine days left, as Washington remains silent on the call.
- World News
- 4 min read
New Delhi: Tehran has alleged that a potential breakthrough in the ongoing standoff between Iran and the U.S. was sabotaged by a mid-negotiation phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi leveled the accusation on X today, shortly after Vance departed Islamabad. The Vice President's exit followed an intense 21-hour marathon of negotiations in the Pakistani capital that ultimately concluded without a deal.
"Netanyahu's call to Vance during the meeting shifted the focus from US-Iran negotiations to Israel's interests," Araghchi wrote. "The US tried to achieve at the negotiating table what it could not achieve through war."
He said Iran had entered the Pakistan-hosted negotiations in good faith, adding Vance's press conference before his departure was "unnecessary." He said Iran remained "committed and prepared to safeguard our nation's interest and sovereignty."
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Washington has remained silent on the matter, neither confirming nor denying that the call from Netanyahu took place.
This diplomatic breakdown occurs at a precarious time, placing immense pressure on the two-week ceasefire established earlier this month, which is now set to expire in just nine days.
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US vs Tehran claims
After hours of negotiations in Pakistan between the US and Iran, talks have reached a stalemate on Sunday as US Vice President JD Vance said that no agreement has been reached in talks with Iran. He said that while they would be returning to the US, the development is "bad news for Iran" than it is for the United States.
"We've had a number of substance agreements with the Iranians- that is the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. That is bad news for Iran, much more than it is bad news for the United States of America."
Despite an extraordinary diplomatic push by Washington, Iranian officials report that the United States failed to extract any concessions, leaving the regional status quo--and the blockade of the Strait--firmly in place.
In a blunt assessment of the 21-hour marathon negotiations, Iranian representatives highlighted the failure of the American delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, to achieve through diplomacy what they could not through military pressure.
According to the embassy, the Vice President is returning to Washington "empty-handed," with the Islamic Republic refusing to budge on its strategic positions despite the "intense" pressure applied during the negotiations mediated by Pakistan.
In a post on X, the embassy said, "The US flew their Vice President halfway across the world to Islamabad. 21 hours of talks. They demanded everything they couldn't achieve through war. Iran said a BIG NO. The talks are over. The Strait is still closed. And the VP is flying home empty-handed. Just Iran's word. Again. They don't have any option left to save face."
Trump's latest warning
US President Donald Trump has ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in response to Iran's "unyielding" refusal to give up its nuclear ambitions during peace talks in Islamabad.
While acknowledging that the marathon negotiations in Pakistan had gone "well" and "most points were agreed to," Trump said Tehran had refused to concede on the issue of its nuclear programme.
"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," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.