The Latest: US and Iranian delegations leave Pakistan after talks end without agreement

Vice President JD Vance said negotiations between the United States and Iran ended early Sunday without a deal after the Iranians refused to accept U.S. terms to not develop a nuclear weapon.

The high-stakes talks in Pakistan ended after 21 hours, Vance said, with the vice president in constant communication with President Donald Trump and others in the administration.

“But the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance told reporters.

The war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week.

The U.S. delegation led by Vance and the Iranian delegation led by parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf had discussed how to advance a ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Here is the latest:

Iran's state-run TV said the delegation left Pakistan's capital after talks with the U.S. failed to reach a deal.

The East-West pipeline, used to send oil to the Red Sea for transport, was repaired after an attack, the Saudi Energy Ministry said in a statement Sunday. It said it has full capacity of about 7 million barrels a day.

The pumping station was attacked Thursday, affecting about 700,000 barrels of output through the pipeline, which has allowed Saudi Arabia to continue exporting a substantial portion of its oil.

Saudi Aramco operates the pipeline from the Aqaiq oil processing center near the Persian Gulf to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea, avoiding the Iranian chokepoint on the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The ministry said the Manila oil field was also repaired, restoring a capacity of around 300,000 barrels a day.

It said work was still underway at another field, Kurais, to restore a capacity of another 300,000 barrels a day.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday that negotiations with the U.S. fell apart over a “gap between our opinions over two or three important issues.”

“Ultimately the talks didn’t result in an agreement,” spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told Iran’s state TV. He did not detail what those issues were.

On some topics, Baghaei said U.S. and Iranian negotiators “actually reached mutual understanding.” The negotiators discussed the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei said, but did not mention discussion of nuclear weapons.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called on Iran and the United States to keep their commitment to maintain a ceasefire, after both countries ended historic face-to-face talks without an agreement.

“It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire,” Dar said.

He added that Pakistan will continue to play is mediating role and will try to keep facilitating the dialogue between Iran and the U.S. in coming days.

Vice President JD Vance boarded his government plane at 7:08 a.m. local time in Islamabad, planning to depart Pakistan after he said that Iran declined to back down on developing a nuclear weapon.

That’s according to a reporter traveling with Vance.

The war with Iran started at the end of February and the extensive talks ended after 21 hours. The U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 7 for negotiations.

Vice President JD Vance said negotiations between the U.S. and the Iranians have ended without a peace deal after the Iranians refused to accept American terms to not develop a nuclear weapon.

The high-states talks ended after 21 hours, Vance said, with the vice president in constant communication with President Donald Trump and others in the administration.

“But the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance told reporters. “That is the core goal of the president of the United States. And that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”

Vice President JD Vance walks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, partially seen on the left, Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir, third left, Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad Natalie A. Baker, right, before boarding Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Vice President JD Vance, left, talks to Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir, right, and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, center, before boarding Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Vice President JD Vance gives a thumb up sign as he boards Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, April 12, 2026, . (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Vice President JD Vance, second left, shakes hands with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, as Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, left, Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir, third left, and Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad Natalie A. Baker, right, look on, as he prepares to board Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Voters in Benin cast ballots Sunday to choose a successor to President Patrice Talon, who is stepping down after a decade in power, leaving a mixed legacy of economic growth, a growing jihadi insurgency in the north and the suppression of opposition critics.

Romuald Wadagni, the 49-year-old finance minister and governing coalition standard-bearer, is considered Talon’s anointed successor. Wadagni is being challenged by Paul Hounkpè, the sole opposition candidate.

Nearly 8 million are registered to vote across more than 17,000 polling stations in the West African nation. Benin had over 15 million people in 2024, and like many sub-Saharan African countries, its population is overwhelmingly young. Polls are expected to close at 4 p.m. with the results expected within 48 hours.

Analysts widely expect Wadagni to win after a parliamentary election in January, during which the opposition failed to cross the 20% threshold required to win seats, leaving Talon’s two allied parties in control of all 109 seats in the National Assembly.

Renaud Agbodjo, leader of the Democrats, was barred from competing after failing to secure a sufficient number of parliamentary endorsements — a threshold critics say was engineered to keep rivals out.

While Benin has historically been among the most stable democracies in Africa, opposition leaders and human rights organizations have accused Talon of using the justice system as a tool to sideline his political opponents.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have denounced a sustained crackdown on dissent under Talon, citing arbitrary detentions, tighter restrictions on public demonstrations and mounting pressure on independent media outlets.

Protests over the rising cost of living sprang up in recent years, but the government and security forces clamped down on any dissent.

In December, a group of military officers attempted to topple Talon’s government in a failed coup, the latest in a series of recent military takeover attempts across Africa. Most attempted coups follow a similar pattern of disputed elections, constitutional upheaval, security crises and youth discontent.

Among the coup leaders’ key complaints was the deterioration of security in northern Benin.

For years, Benin has faced spillover violence in its north from neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger in their battle against the al-Qaida-affiliated extremist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM.

The tri-border area has long been a hotbed for extremist violence, a trend worsened by the lack of security cooperation with Niger and Burkina Faso, both now led by military juntas.

A motorcyclist stands beside a billboard featuring presidential candidate Paul Hounkpe in Cotonou, Benin, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)

Presidential candidate Romuald Wadagni greets supporters at a campaign rally in Cotonou, Benin, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)

Road users pass in front of a campaign billboard for presidential candidate Paul Hounkpe and his running mate, Rock Hounwanou in Cotonou, Benin, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)