“Percy Jackson”'s Walker Scobell says he's not going to prom and calls out 'death threats' made to teenage girls he knows

Percy Jackson and the Olympiansstar Walker Scobell has a battle on his hands.

Entertainment Weekly Walker Scobell in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' season 2Credit: Disney/David Bukach

The actor, who plays the titular demigod in the Disney+ series, is not going to prom, he said in a Instagram Stories post on Sunday, amid serious threats made to teenage girls he is acquainted with.

"Just to let everyone know, I will not be attending prom," Scobell wrote in the post to his 2.2 million followers. "Please stop sending death threats to EVERY teenage girl who could remotely be associated with me based on their proximity to where I live. It's not fair to them or their families. Maybe also just stop sending death threats in general. That's just not cool. Kinda weird I have to say this."

Walker Scobell posted on Instagram Stories April 12 that he's not going to promCredit: Walker Scobell/Instagram

This isn't the first time thatPercy Jacksonfans have crossed a line.

Aryan Simhadri, who plays Grover Underwood, recently shared adisturbing encounterwithEntertainment Weeklyduring a game of "Lie vs. Lie" with Scobell. According to Simhadri, he was out in public when a group of “40 drunk girls” recognized him. And one in particular got entirely too handsy with the actor.

“I was feeling pretty uncomfortable, so I put my hands in my back pockets,” Simhadri recalled. “And then she reached around and put her hand inside of my back pocket, with my hand already in there. There’s not enough room in the back pocket of jeans for more than one hand. She lingered there a little longer than I would have liked. Not that I would have liked it at all.”

The third season ofPercy Jackson and the Olympians, based on authorRick Riordan's original book series, will return to Disney+ later this year.

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As EW previously reported,MulanstarMing-Na Wenhasjoined the castas Hera, the queen of Olympus and wife of Zeus (Courtney B. Vance, whotook over the role from the late Lance Reddick). According to Hera’s officialPercy Jacksoncharacter description, Hera is “regal, maternal, and no-nonsense.” However, her husband’s affair “rankles her.”

Another new face on Mount Olympus will beSaturday Night LivealumKate McKinnonasAphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty who assists Percy in his quest.

Walker Scobell stars in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' season 2Credit: Disney

The series has been such a hit,season 3got the green light months before season 2 even premiered.

“From the momentPercy Jackson and the Olympiansdebuted, it was clear this series had struck a chord with fans of all ages,” Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, said in astatement.

Season 3 will adaptThe Titan's Curse, the third book in Riordan's series that follows Percy and his friends as they race to save the goddess Artemis (Dafne Keen), while also confronting an ancient monster capable of destroying Olympus.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Riordan teased what fans can expect when the series returns: "This third season will be new territory for the screen, bringing fan favorites like the Hunters of Artemis and Nico di Angelo to life for the first time."

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“Percy Jackson”'s Walker Scobell says he's not going to prom and calls out 'death threats' made to teenage girls he knows

Percy Jackson and the Olympiansstar Walker Scobell has a battle on his hands. The actor, who plays the titular demigod in the Dis...
Who Is Clavicular? What to Know About the Controversial 'Looksmaxxing' Influencer

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, is known for promoting the practice of "looksmaxxing"

People Clavicular, whose real name is Braden PetersCredit: Clavicular/Instagram

NEED TO KNOW

  • He frequently posts photos and videos of the extreme methods he uses to achieve his version of a "perfect" physical appearance

  • Peters was hospitalized following a suspected overdose on April 14

The social media content creatorClavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, is a controversial personality known for his "looksmaxxing" program.

Peters was born and raised in New Jersey to a stay-at-home mom and a businessman dad. However, by the time he was 14 years old, he was testing out various controlled substances, testosterone and steroids to "ascend" his physical appearance.

Peters has gained a significant following on TikTok, Kick and Instagram for posting content encouraging young men to physically alter their appearance to attract women. Over the last year, Peters has gained over 1 million followers across those three platforms.

In addition to garnering a social media following, Peters also launched the online academyClavicular’s Clan, a “private" community offering “detailed guides that will guaranteed ascend you.”

As he's risen in popularity, Peters has also been arrested twice and been involved in violent interactions on his livestreams.

In April 2026, Peters washospitalized following a suspected overdoseafter his livestream suddenly came to a stop, PEOPLE confirmed at the time. Peters appeared to be under the influence, as he slurred his speech and told a woman that he was "destroyed." He returned home from the hospital the following day.

Here's everything to know about Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters.

Who is Clavicular?

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden PetersCredit: Clavicular/Instagram

Clavicular is a popular and controversial content creator whose real name is Braden Peters. He was born in December 2005 and raised in Hoboken, N.J., as he toldThe New York Times.

Although he has not been officially diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, he frequently calls himself an "autist" andsayshe has autism. Peters said he struggled in high school, so he started researching how to change his body.

“I rot[ted] in my room,” he said to a friend in February 2026, according toGQ. “I used to not really be social."

Ahead of his 15th birthday, Peters learned about "looksmaxxing" and ordered testosterone online.

“It’s like a cheat code,” he toldThe New York Times. “Why would I not do this?”

His parents allegedly later found the drugs and threw them away, which caused Peters to research other drugs — including fat dissolvers and steroids — and secretly order them.

“They realized that there was kind of nothing that they could do to stop my ascension,” he said of his parents.

By high school graduation, Peters' appearance had already drastically changed, and he started looking at the online forumLooksmax.organd frequently posted on it. At the same time, he enrolled at Sacred Heart University but claimed toThe New York Timesthat he was expelled after someone in the Looksmaxxing forum told the university that he had drugs in his dorm. The university reportedly did not publicly comment on the case due to FERPA, which protects student privacy.

With school no longer on his radar, he strictly focused on his "looksmaxxing" content and started to stream on Kick and TikTok for hours at a time.

“I never expected any of it to go viral or myself to become a public figure,” Peters said.

Over the years, Peters has alleged that he's gone to extreme lengths to "ascend" — including using non-human-approved anabolic steroid trenbolone, smoking meth to curb his appetite, placing weights on specific areas to enlarge his penis and even smashing his face with a hammer to make his bones grow back sharper.

What kind of content does Clavicular make?

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden PetersCredit: Clavicular/Instagram

Peters goes by the name Clavicular across his platforms. He specializes in "looksmaxxing," which is a vague process taken on primarily by young people, mainly men, who go to extreme lengths to "ascend," or become as physically attractive as possible.

He explained toThe New York Timesthat he and his community consider actorMatt Bomerto be the level of harmony and perfection they're trying to achieve. The actor has no links to the "looksmaxxing" community or Peters.

After getting his start on Looksmax.org, Peters rose the ranks and became a moderator. Shortly after, in 2025, Peters started sharing his controversial tactics on TikTok, Kick and Instagram. He is known for streaming, specifically "IRL" streaming — where he interacts with strangers — for hours on end. He claimed he averages earnings of around $100,000 a month from Kick, alone.

Peters often poststhrowback photosof what he looked like before the age of 15 to now, over five years later. In addition tosharing his own tips, Peters also postsbefore-and-after contentfrom his alleged clients, whom he says he coaches through his online program.

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"If you’re tired of being invisible to women, tired of getting rejected and tired of watching other guys who won the genetic lottery take what's yours, then pay attention," he said in an introductory video on his website.

Peters further claimed, "I've spent years mastering the science of male aesthetics. I'm talking about completely restructuring your facial aesthetics using pharmacology, extreme methods and protocols people are too scared to even ask about." He does not hold a degree in pharmacology and is not certified to give medical advice.

Peters also claimed that he has trained clients who are "skinny low-day morphism and completely overlooked by women and turned them into jacked high-value men who command and respect the second they walk in the room."

Manydoctors have warnedpeople in the "looksmaxxing" community that their methods are dangerous.

“Young men fall into this false sense of acceptance, and what they believe women want from them,” counselor Jason Fierstein toldHealthline. “They can get caught up in potentially lifelong struggles with feeling inadequate and handling that inadequacy.”

Counselor Christine Ruberti-Bruning added that extreme versions of "looksmaxxing" are "dipping its toe into self-harm territory, especially some of its associated trends, likesmashing your facewith a hammer.”

Why was Clavicular arrested?

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, after he was arrestedCredit: Fort Lauderdale Sheriff's Office

In February 2026, Peters was arrested for allegedly possessing a forged instrument, using a fake ID and suspicion of dangerous drug possession — which were later identified as Adderall and Anavar — after he was caught using a fake ID to get into a bar, perKTAR News. State prosecutors declined to charge him.

One month later, Peters wasarrested for a second time on charges of battery, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department told PEOPLE at the time. He was arrested after hereportedlyprovoked a fight between two women and then posted the video online. A rep for Peters did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

What other controversies has Clavicular created?

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden PetersCredit: Clavicular/Instagram

Prior to his legal troubles, Peters had another controversial moment when he hit a man with a Tesla Cybertruck while livestreaming in December 2025, perTMZ.

Peters alleged that the man was a “stream sniper” who was stalking him; Peters appeared to run the man over after he jumped onto the car. After the incident, he posted an animated image of the altercation onXwith the caption, "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." Police reportedly did not charge him in connection with the incident.

Earlier that month, Peters was seen pointing a gun at a car of strangers, whom he also claimed were "stream snipers," according toThe New York Times. Another video of him appearing to shoot a gun at a dead alligator in Florida also surfaced around the same time, perTheGuardian.

In April 2026, during an interview with60 Minutes Australia, Peters got upset with correspondent Adam Hegarty after he asked him why he was friendly with other "controversial figures," likeAndrew Tate, who is currently facing21 criminal charges, including rape and human trafficking. Tate has denied all charges.

“I see you want to make this political,” Peters responded, while referencing another interview he had with Piers Morgan where he insulted Morgan's wife after he felt the interview became “too political.”

“Too bad I didn't have time to look into anything about who your wife cheated with, but don't try and go down that line of questioning with me,” Peters told Hegarty. “I'm not doing any political jestering.” Hegarty said in the interview that he is not married.

Peters has faced online backlash from activists and investigative journalists, including aRolling Stonewriter who paid for his "looksmaxxing" course and reported on Peters' dangerous, racist and misogynistic advice.

What happened to Clavicular in April 2026?

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden PetersCredit: Clavicular/X

On April 14, Peters was rushed to an emergency room following a suspected overdose, PEOPLE confirmed at the time. The incident took place when he was livestreaming with two other influencers at a mall.

Prior to the livestream getting cut, Peters was seen talking to a woman and appeared to be under the influence.

"Holy s--- dude, I'm trying my best, but I'm f---ing destroyed right now," Peters repeatedly told the woman.

One of the influencers in the video,Androgenic, also asked Peters when he "last took blue," and later asked if he wanted an "addy," seemingly referring to the ADHD drug Adderall. Androgenic later addressed the ordeal onX.

"I hadn’t seen him in this state before and he went from speaking to being fairly unresponsive in mere seconds," Androgenic wrote. "Within a minute we all realised the situation, turned the stream off, picked him up and rushed him to the hospital."

The following day,Peters shared an updateand said that he had returned home.

"Just got home, that was brutal," Peters captioned a selfie, which featured his bloody face. "All of the substances are just a cope trying to feel neurotypical while being in public, but obviously that isn't a real solution. The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask."

Read the original article onPeople

Who Is Clavicular? What to Know About the Controversial 'Looksmaxxing' Influencer

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, is known for promoting the practice of "looksmaxxing" NEED TO KNOW ...
Britney Spears checks into rehab after DUI arrest

Britney Spearshas entered rehab following her arreston suspicion of driving under the influence.

USA TODAY

The 44-year-old popstar "has voluntarily checked herself into a treatment facility," a representative for Spears confirmed to USA TODAY on April 12.

The news was first reported by theCelebrity Intelligence newsletter.

The move comes a month after she was arrested March 4 outside of Los Angeles County. A California Highway Patrol spokesperson told USA TODAY on March 6 that Spears was suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, as she allegedly showed "signs of impairment and submitted to a series of field sobriety tests."

Spears was driving a black BMW 430i "erratically" at high speeds on the highway in Ventura County, according to the CHP. She is due for a court appearance on May 4.

<p style=Spears charmed Jay Leno in 2003 with a look at her new tattoo.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Spears performs during her Onyx Hotel tour in 2004.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Spears at the premiere of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" in 2005, alongside husband Kevin Federline, whom she wed in 2004.

She was pregnant at the time with their first son, Sean.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Spears and Federline in 2006 at a Grammys party.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Spears arrives at the Los Angeles County Superior courthouse on Jan. 14, 2008, for a hearing regarding visitation rights for her two sons.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Spears and her ex Sam Asghari who played her love interest in the "Slumber Party" video. The pair announced their engagement on Sept. 12, 2021 and legally separated in 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=A promotional shot for the documentary "Framing Britney Spears" from FX and The New York Times, which hit Hulu on Jan. 5, 2021. The doc got fans and celebrities once again talking about the past media treatment of her and the years-long conservatorship that controlled her finances and other important life decisions. As the conservatorship battle continued, more interest in Spears' case launched more documentaries to air from Netflix and CNN. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Britney's 13-year, state-imposed guardianship incited a fan-led #FreeBritney movement. Here, supporters gather outside the County Courthouse in Los Angeles during a hearing in her case on June 23, 2021.

She was freed from the conservatorship on Nov. 12, 2021. The star celebrated the judge's decision on Instagram, writing: "I think I’m gonna cry the rest of the day !!!! Best day ever … praise the Lord … can I get an Amen." She has since spoken out several times on Instagram about alleged mistreatment she suffered under her conservatorship by her family members.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Amid Britney Spears' arrest, a look back at her career in photos

Spears charmed Jay Leno in 2003 with a look at her new tattoo.

In a March 6 statement to USA TODAY, Spears' rep said the arrest was an "unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable."

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"Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law, and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney's life," the rep said. The singer has a court hearing in the case scheduled for May 4.

"Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time," Spears' spokesperson added. "Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for well-being."

Spears shares two children with ex-husbandKevin Federline: Sean, 20, and Jayden, 19.

Contributing: Edward Segarra and Taijuan Moorman

If you or someone you know needs help battling a substance abuse addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration'sNational Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Britney Spears checks into rehab

Britney Spears checks into rehab after DUI arrest

Britney Spearshas entered rehab following her arreston suspicion of driving under the influence. The 44-year-old popstar "ha...
John Nolan, “Batman Begins” actor and uncle of Christopher Nolan, dies at 87

John Nolan, the English actor who appeared in films likeBatman Begins, has died.

Entertainment Weekly John Nolan in New York City on Nov. 7, 2015Credit: Mireya Acierto/FilmMagic

The performerdiedat age 87, theStratford-upon-Avon Heraldreported on Saturday.

Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to representatives for Nolan for more information.

Nolan was best known for his collaborations with his nephewsChristopher Nolanand Jonathan Nolan. He portrayed Wayne Enterprises board member Douglas Fredericks inBatman BeginsandThe Dark Knight Rises, both of which were helmed by Christopher and the latter of which was co-written by Jonathan.

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John Nolan in 'Batman Begins'Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

On the small screen, he appeared in 27 episodes of CBS'Person of Interest, which was created and executive-produced by Jonathan. On the show, he portrayed John Greer, a former MI6 operative intent on destroying the central Machine.

He also played a police officer in Christopher's 1997 feature directorial debut,Following, and portrayed a blind man in his 2017 Oscar-winning movie,Dunkirk.

This is a developing story.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

John Nolan, “Batman Begins” actor and uncle of Christopher Nolan, dies at 87

John Nolan, the English actor who appeared in films likeBatman Begins, has died. The performerdiedat age 87, theStratford-upon-Av...
Meghan Markle Makes Solo Stop at Women's Homeless Shelter in Australia

Meghan Markle visited a women's shelter in Melbourne as one of the first stops of her and Prince Harry's visit to Australia

People Meghan Markle serves up lunch to a resident at the center in Melbourne, Australia on April 14, 2026Credit: Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • The couple's visit marks their first return to Australia since their 2018 royal tour

  • The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a packed schedule on the continent, including a retreat in Sydney and a professional development summit in Melbourne

Meghan Marklehas made the first solo stop of her andPrince Harry's trip to Australia.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 14 (local time), the Duchess of Sussex, 44, visited a Homeless Services for Women Centre in Melbourne, where she put on an apron and served frittata to the users of the center.

After serving several people, Meghan asked, “Is anyone else hungry?" appearing relaxed and smiling at the press and guests at the location, PA Media reported.

Meghan then sat down at a table and joined people eating food at the centre, telling them: “We landed here this morning so my jet lag hasn’t quite hit yet.”

Meghan Markle serves lunch at the center in Melbourne, Australia on April 14, 2026Credit: Jonathan Brady-Pool/Getty

The center is run by McAuley Community Services for Women, which supports women and children experiencing family violence, homelessness and related challenges.

Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan's Australia visit marks their first time back on the continent since their royal tour in 2018. The trip is privately funded, andthe couple's children,Prince Archie, 6, andPrincess Lilibet, 4, will not be joining them.

The couple made their first public appearance of the visit on Tuesday morning, fora visit to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. Harry's mother,Princess Diana, had previously visited the Royal Children's Hospital on her royal tour of Australia in 1983.

Harry and Meghan were greeted and met by cheers from large crowds gathered along the walkways and balconies of the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Novalie Morris, 12, a patient at the hospital who met the couple, told PEOPLE at the event, “I gave Harry flowers and he said 'thank you' and he told me to 'keep on being brave.' It cheered me up a lot and I’ll keep thinking about that."

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Earlier in the day, Meghan and Harry visited the Royal Children's Hospital in MelbourneCredit: JOEL CARRETT/EPA/Shutterstock

The youngest onlooker was six-week-old baby Millie who, after being released three days ago, returned to the hospital for a check-up. Her mother Zoe said it was a highlight for the family after a tough few weeks.

“One day, I’ll be able to tell her she met the prince," she told PEOPLE.

One 4-year-old patient, Lily, gave the couple a hand-drawn sign that said, “Welcome Harry and Meghan,” and presented a flower to the duchess, who hugged the little girl saying, “Oh my gosh, this is so sweet. I love it.”

Harry said, "Nice to meet you, Lily," and told her that the sign was "beautiful," asking, “How long did it take?”

During their trip, Prince Harry and Meghan are expected to attend a variety of public and private engagements,including Meghan headlining Her Best Life podcast's "girls weekend" retreatin Sydney and Harryserving as a keynote speaker on workplace mental healthat the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit in Melbourne.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Their last trip to Australia came in October 2018, when they embarked on an official royal tour that included supporting Prince Harry's Invictus Games in Sydney. The coupleannounced Meghan's pregnancywith their first child just before the tour kicked off, and Prince Archie was born in May 2019.

That 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand included stops in Sydney, Dubbo, Melbourne, Fraser Island and the lakeside town of Rotorua in New Zealand.

Read the original article onPeople

Meghan Markle Makes Solo Stop at Women's Homeless Shelter in Australia

Meghan Markle visited a women's shelter in Melbourne as one of the first stops of her and Prince Harry's visit to Australia ...
US, Indonesia discussing agreement allowing US military overflight in Indonesian airspace, Indonesian ministry says

(Refiles to fix slug)

Reuters

JAKARTA, April ‌13 (Reuters) - Indonesia ‌and the United ​States are discussing an agreement to give ‌U.S. ⁠military aircraft access to Indonesian ⁠airspace, Indonesia's defence ​ministry said ​on ​Monday, adding ‌that no deal has yet been reached.

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U.S. Defence Secretary Pete ‌Hegseth is ​set ​to ​meet ‌with his Indonesian ​counterpart ​Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin later on ​Monday.

(Reporting ‌by Stanley Widianto; ​Editing by David ​Stanway)

US, Indonesia discussing agreement allowing US military overflight in Indonesian airspace, Indonesian ministry says

(Refiles to fix slug) JAKARTA, April ‌13 (Reuters) - Indonesia ‌and the United ​States are discussing an agreement to give ‌U.S. ...
US-Iran peace talks end without agreement, Vance leaves Pakistan

By Saad Sayeed and Asif Shahzad

Reuters A man walks past a billboard near the media centre as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to hold peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 11, 2026. REUTERS/Asim Hafeez U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran as Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for Peace Missions, listen, on Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to hold peace talks, in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 11, 2026. Office of the Iranian Parliament Speaker/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pose on the day of a meeting for talks about Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 11, 2026. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS

U.S.-Iran peace talks in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD, April 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. and Iran failed to reach an agreement to end their war https://www.reuters.com/world/iran/ despite lengthy talks that concluded on Sunday in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, jeopardising a fragile ceasefire.

Each side blamed the other for the failure of the 21-hour-long negotiations to end fighting that has killed ‌thousands nL1N3ZZ07R and sent global oil prices soaring since it began over six weeks ago.

"The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that's bad ‌news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America," Vice President JD Vance, the head of the U.S. delegation, told reporters shortly before he left Islamabad.

U.S. CITES 'RED LINES', IRAN SAYS DEMANDS 'EXCESSIVE'

"So we go back to the ​United States having not come to an agreement. We've made very clear what our red lines are."

The U.S. delegation later left Pakistan, while the Iranians were to depart later on Sunday, two Pakistani sources told Reuters.

Vance said Iran had chosen not to accept American terms, including not to build nuclear weapons.

"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. That is the core goal of the president of the United States, and that's what we've tried to achieve through these negotiations."

The talks in Islamabad, after ‌a ceasefire earlier in the week, were the first direct U.S.-Iranian meeting ⁠in more than a decade and the highest-level discussions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said that "excessive" U.S. demands had hindered reaching an agreement. Other Iranian media said there was agreement on a number of issues but that the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme were the main ⁠points of difference.

A spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry said the talks were conducted in an atmosphere of mistrust. "It is natural that we shouldn't have expected to reach agreement in just one session," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by Iranian media.

"It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire," Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a statement after the talks. The two sides agreed on Tuesday to a two-week ceasefire in ​an ​attempt to wind down a war that began on February 28 with air strikes by the U.S. and Israel on ​Iran.

In his brief press conference, Vance did not mention reopening the Strait of ‌Hormuz, a choke point for about 20% of global energy supplies that Tehran has blocked since the war began.

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Vance said he had spoken with President Donald Trump https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump/ as many as a dozen times during the talks. But even as the negotiations continued, Trump said on Saturday that a deal was not entirely necessary.

"We're negotiating, whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me, because we've won," he told reporters.

The U.S. delegation included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Iran's team included Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ

"There were mood swings from the two sides and the temperature went up and down during the meeting," a Pakistani source said in reference to an early round of talks, which carried on overnight.

Islamabad, a city of more ‌than 2 million people, was locked down during the talks with thousands of paramilitary personnel and army troops on ​the streets.

Before the talks began, a senior Iranian source told Reuters the U.S. had agreed to release frozen assets nL1N40U035 ​in Qatar and other foreign banks. A U.S. official denied agreeing to release the money.

As well ​as the release of assets abroad, Tehran is demanding control of the Strait of Hormuz, payment of war reparations and a ceasefire across the region, including ‌in Lebanon, according to Iranian state TV and officials.

Tehran nL6N40U01E also wants to ​collect transit fees nL1N40Q0L0 in the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite ​the differences in Islamabad, three supertankers fully laden with oil passed through nL1N40U04R the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, shipping data showed, in what appeared to be the first vessels to exit the Gulf since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal.

Hundreds of tankers are still stuck in the Gulf, waiting to exit during the two-week ceasefire period.

Trump's stated goals have shifted, but as a ​minimum he wants free passage for global shipping through the strait and ‌the crippling of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme to ensure it cannot produce an atomic bomb.

Tehran has long denied wanting to build a nuclear weapon.

U.S. ally Israel has also been ​bombing Tehran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and says that conflict is not part of the Iran-U.S. ceasefire. Iran has insisted that the fighting in Lebanon has to stop.

(Reporting ​by Reuters bureaux worldwide; Writing by Idrees Ali, Lisa Shumaker and Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by William Mallard)

US-Iran peace talks end without agreement, Vance leaves Pakistan

By Saad Sayeed and Asif Shahzad U.S.-Iran peace talks in Islamabad ISLAMABAD, April 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. and Iran failed t...

 

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