El vicepresidente de Estados Unidos, JD Vance, anunció este domingo desde Islambad que la delegación estadounidense no alcanzó un acuerdo con el régimen de Irán tras 21 horas de negociaciones, por lo que se vuelve a Washington junto al resto del equipo negociador norteamericano.

“Ellos han elegido no aceptar nuestros términos”, afirmó durante una conferencia de prensa desde la capital pakistaní.

“Regresamos a Estados Unidos sin haber logrado alcanzar un acuerdo (…) Nos vamos de aquí con una propuesta muy simple, un enfoque que constituye nuestra oferta final y mejor. Veremos si los iraníes la aceptan”, declaró Vance, tras lamentar la ausencia de un “compromiso firme” iraní de renunciar a las armas nucleares.

“El principal objetivo es buscar que no alcancen un arma nuclear”, sostuvo el vicepresidente norteamericano, al tiempo que aseveró que las instalaciones de enriquecimiento del régimen persa “fueron destruidas”, pero aclaró: “La pregunta es: ¿vemos un compromiso de no desarrollar un arma nuclea por un largo termino?”, agregó.

En su discurso, Vance también enalteció la labor del primer ministro de Pakistán para facilitar un acuerdo de paz entre las partes.

Antes de la conferencia, el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump sostuvo que le daba “igual” si Estados Unidos e Irán alcanzaban un entendimiento hacia la paz: “Si llegamos o no a un acuerdo, me da igual. La razón es porque hemos ganado“.

”Estamos en negociaciones muy profundas con Irán. Ganamos de cualquier manera. Los hemos derrotado militarmente”, sostuvo el mandatario frente a periodistas.

Por su parte, el régimen iraní, previo a la conferencia de Vance, había advertido que el éxito de las conversaciones de paz dependía de que Washington evitara “excesivas demandas” y “peticiones ilegales”.

“El éxito de este proceso diplomático depende de la seriedad y la buena fe de la parte contraria, de abstenerse de excesivas demandas y peticiones ilegales, y de la aceptación de los derechos e intereses legítimos de Irán”, escribió Esmaeil Baqaei, portavoz del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores iraní, en X.

Las negociaciones entre Washington y Teherán, con mediación de Pakistán, quedaron marcadas por la extensión inusual de las sesiones, que superaron las 20 horas durante la jornada del sábado.

Las conversaciones se desarrollaron en Islamabad bajo medidas de seguridad extremas. El escenario fue un hotel exclusivo, sede de estas discusiones que representaron un cambio histórico: fue la primera vez desde 1979 que ambos países mantuvieron un intercambio directo de alto nivel, dejando de lado la intermediación habitual de terceros.

Las recientes amenazas militares del régimen iraní, junto a la escalada de los precios energéticos, colocaron a la región en estado de alerta. Las diferencias en materia de seguridad y economía han impedido que las partes alcancen avances sustanciales tras largas horas de debate.

Por parte de Estados Unidos, JD Vance estuvo acompañado de Steve Witkoff y Jared Kushner. Irán, en tanto, participó con una delegación liderada por el presidente del Parlamento, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, y el canciller Abbas Araghchi. La presencia de figuras políticas de primer nivel reflejó la gravedad del momento y la apuesta de ambos gobiernos por evitar un deterioro aún mayor.

En el centro de la agenda, Irán exigió el desbloqueo de activos sancionados y el fin de la ofensiva israelí contra Hezbollah en Líbano como condiciones para alcanzar un acuerdo. Las autoridades iraníes subrayaron la relevancia de la presencia del vicepresidente estadounidense, JD Vance, tanto por su rango como por su previa oposición a la guerra, considerándolo un gesto de seriedad en el proceso. Por su parte, Estados Unidos mantuvo la presión económica y militar e insistió en dejar fuera de las discusiones en Islamabad el tema libanés.

La presencia estadounidense en la región se reforzó el fin de semana con el envío de dos buques de guerra especializados en desminado al estrecho de Ormuz. Washington afirmó que la misión tiene como objetivo garantizar un “paso seguro” a los petroleros, fundamentales para “un quinto del comercio mundial de crudo”.

Donald Trump declaró que Washington mantendrá abierto el canal por la necesidad de proteger a sus aliados internacionales. Además, afirmó que le daba “igual” el resultado de las negociaciones en Islamabad.

Sin embargo, el mando naval de la Guardia Revolucionaria rechazó que embarcaciones estadounidenses hayan ingresado en el canal estratégico y advirtió que “cualquier intento de buques militares de cruzar el estrecho será respondido con firmeza”.

French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris were released by Iran on Tuesday after «three and a half years of detention,» President Emmanuel Macron announced. 

The pair, who were arrested in May 2022 while visiting Iran, were accused by Iranian state television of being spies who sought to stir up unrest, according to Reuters. France previously denounced their detention as unjustified and unfounded. 

«Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are free and on their way to French territory, after three and a half years of detention in Iran. This is a relief for all of us and obviously for their families,» Macron wrote on X. 

«Thank you to the Omani authorities for their mediation efforts, to the State services, and to the citizens who mobilized tirelessly and thus contributed to their return,» he added.

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The nonprofit United Against Nuclear Iran described Kohler as the head of a federation of teachers unions in France, with Paris being her partner. 

France’s foreign ministry said last May that Kohler and Paris were being detained as «state hostages by the Islamic Republic of Iran.» 

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French President Emmanuel Macron holds a press conference on July 10, 2025, in London, England. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

«They are being held in shameful conditions and have been able to receive only four consular visits, under very restrictive conditions,» the ministry said at the time. 

Iranian authorities freed the pair from prison in November but didn’t let them leave the country, according to The Associated Press.

Noemie Kohler, sister of Cecile Kohler, and Anne-Laure Paris, daughter of Jacques Paris, attend a press conference in Paris, France, on June 27, 2025. Both are relatives of French citizens held in Iran. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

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French officials said they were then being kept safe at the French Embassy in Tehran, until their departure from Iran on Tuesday. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Before The Baltimore Sun published a word of its reported investigation into Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s record, the Democrat state leader and his team were already blasting the paper’s new ownership as «right-wing» and cozy with President Donald Trump. 

The Baltimore Sun, which was purchased by Sinclair executive chairman David D. Smith in 2024, is reportedly examining Moore’s military record, scholastic sports tenure and other parts of his background, Semafor reported earlier this week, citing the Sun has brought on investigative reporters from sister outlets under the Sinclair umbrella. 

«It’s actually a very sad day because the Baltimore Sun used to be our paper of record. It’s now become the paper of the right wing,» Moore told former Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki in a recent interview, after Psaki noted the Sun was purchased in 2024 by Smith.

Moore, who has downplayed talks of a 2028 presidential bid, has previously faced scrutiny for listing a Bronze Star on a Bush-era White House fellowship application before he received the award, as well as questions about the depth of his Baltimore roots during his 2022 race against then-Gov. Larry Hogan. Moore ultimately received the Bronze Star in 2024.

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«[Y]ou’ve had a MAGA billionaire who is now currying favor for [President Donald Trump] and utilizing what used to be a prized paper for our region and now turning it to something that is not much more than right-wing drivel,» Moore said.

The governor added that Army members he served with don’t question his integrity in the same way and that Smith is the «canary in the coalmine» for wealthy conservatives trying to use their resources to please Trump, including using the media.

The interview elicited a lengthy rebuttal from the managing editor of the Smith-linked outlet investigating Moore: Spotlight on Maryland. The outlet is a collaboration between the Sinclair-owned FOX affiliate in Baltimore, ABC affiliate in Washington and the Sun.

«Democrats sure are putting in a lot of work to discredit a series before it’s even started running. That alone should raise a question: why?,» Spotlight on Maryland managing editor Candy Woodall tweeted, captioning Moore’s interview.

Woodall claimed Moore’s office threatened to disseminate files to «every media reporter» to try to discredit her investigation.

«We saw the same playbook in 2022 when a FOX-45 reporter asked why Moore allowed claims that he had received a Bronze Star that he didn’t have at the time. His team accused the reporter and media outlet of bias and a smear campaign,» she wrote.

«Two years later, after the New York Times wrote about the Bronze Star Moore hadn’t received, the narrative changed, and the governor said it was ‘an honest mistake’. In an August 2024 statement on his military record, Moore acknowledged he knew before leaving Afghanistan that he had not received the award.»

In that statement, Moore said his deputy brigade commander encouraged him to apply for a White House fellowship and simultaneously recommended him for a Bronze Star and told him to include that on his application.

Wes Moore, governor of Maryland, during an announcement in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg)

He added that in his officer evaluation, his superiors ranked him in the top 1% of Operation Enduring Freedom officers and called him «the best lieutenant I’ve encountered…» before later noting he «sincerely wish[ed he] had gone back to correct the note on my application.»

Woodall pushed back again in her tweet, saying that her journalists’ loyalties aren’t to officials but to Marylanders and that her team sent «hundreds» of questions to Moore and his staff to scant responses.

She claimed a Moore official admitted Spotlight doesn’t deserve to be treated like a news outlet and «nothing that comes out of Sinclair should be taken seriously.»

«If you want to know more, keep reading The Baltimore Sun, a 200-year-old newspaper that has survived many governors,» she quipped.

When asked for a response, Moore press secretary Ammar Moussa told Fox News Digital that «in light of revelations that Sinclair owner and Trump-donor David Smith is personally involved in Spotlight on Maryland’s reporting, what is the extent of Sinclair owner and Donald Trump ally David Smith’s influence in the FOX-45 and Baltimore Sun newsrooms?»

He also said Spotlight reporter Gary Collins is «not a journalist,» directing Fox News Digital to an X response to Collins, criticizing him as a former Maryland Republican Party official «working at the direction of your Trump-supporting boss.»

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«I will continue to report facts, just like my colleagues do,» Collins said.

Collins had also published a March 26 report on a roundtable Moore participated in near a Washington County warehouse rumored to be destined as an ICE facility.

Collins’ piece noted Moore’s complaint about the feds’ «lack of transparency» and contrasted it with what he said was a similar dynamic in Annapolis.

«[Moore’s] administration has yet to release full documentation tied to his military record, academic history, and prior credentials — records Spotlight On Maryland has requested for months,» Collins wrote, going on to scribe that Sun co-owner and Moore friend Armstrong Williams penned a column calling on the governor to «tell the truth and release the facts.»

Moussa also took aim at Woodall, asking her if Smith was behind her lengthy tweet.

«Did your Trump-supporting boss write this? Or does he only monitor your emails?» Moussa said.

Smith previously ruffled feathers on the left when Sinclair pulled «Jimmy Kimmel Live!» from its lineup following the controversial comic’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s murder. Sinclair is reportedly the largest owner of affiliates of ABC – the network that employs Kimmel.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Sinclair and Smith for additional comment on Friday.