US Vice President to Attend Peace Talks in Pakistan Amid Ceasefire Expiry
US Vice President JD Vance is set to travel to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran, as a ceasefire deal between the two nations is expected to expire. According to reports, Vance was scheduled to depart for Islamabad on Tuesday morning to engage in discussions aimed at reaching a potential agreement to end the ongoing conflict.
The decision to send Vance came after Washington had been waiting to see if Tehran would send a negotiating team to Pakistan, as reported by Axios. In previous instances, US negotiators have engaged in discussions with both Iranian officials and Pakistani intermediaries.
A source revealed that Iran has been delaying the process while facing pressure from the Revolutionary Guards to maintain a firm stance and avoid talks without guarantees of an end to the US blockade. This delay has raised concerns about the progress of the negotiations.
President Donald Trump has expressed skepticism about the likelihood of extending the ceasefire with Iran. He warned that “lots of bombs start going off” if Tehran does not agree to a deal. In a phone interview with Bloomberg News, he emphasized that he would not rush into making a bad deal, stating, “We’ve got all the time in the world.”
The current two-week ceasefire is set to expire on Wednesday evening in Washington time, but Iran has yet to commit to attending further talks in Islamabad this week. This uncertainty has added to the tension surrounding the negotiations.
Trump also mentioned that the Strait of Hormuz would remain blocked until an agreement is reached between the US and Iran. He later posted on Truth Social, claiming he is “winning a War, BY A LOT” and that his deal will be something the entire world will be proud of.
Trump has been actively posting on Truth Social, highlighting that the deal being made with Iran will be far better than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. This agreement involved Iran and several other countries to restrict Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The US withdrew from the deal in 2018 and has since monitored Iran through the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He argued that if the deal had not been terminated, nuclear weapons would have been used on Israel and throughout the Middle East, including US military bases. Trump emphasized that a deal under his leadership would guarantee peace, security, and safety for Israel, the Middle East, Europe, America, and beyond.
In another post, he dismissed claims of pressure to make a deal, stating, “THIS IS NOT TRUE! I am under no pressure whatsoever.” He added that time is not his adversary, and the focus should be on resolving the issues that previous presidents failed to address.
Minutes later, he claimed, “I am winning a War, BY A LOT, things are going very well, our Military has been amazing,” before attacking the “fake news” that suggests otherwise.
Trump also accused Iran of forcing hundreds of ships toward the US, particularly Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to obtain oil. However, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the regime’s position on missing negotiations with the US has not changed, contradicting Trump’s statements about the US negotiating team heading to Islamabad.
The US President previously dismissed claims that Iran would skip the meetings, telling the New York Post, “I would assume at this point nobody’s playing games.” However, the naval blockade issue remains a fundamental obstacle in negotiations, according to Tasnim.
The news agency added that Pakistani mediators confirmed they had raised the matter with the US President. Tehran also objects to unspecified additional US demands communicated through diplomatic channels. The Iranian delegation believes that as long as America does not approach the negotiations realistically, the talks are a waste of time.
Tasnim reported that Tehran has no intention of participating in American theatre until important obstacles are removed and a clear horizon for reaching an agreement acceptable to Iran takes shape.
Regarding face-to-face talks with the Iranian top brass, Trump said he has “no problem” meeting them. “If they want to meet, and we have some very capable people, but I have no problem meeting them,” he said.
At the heart of the discussions, Trump stated that one non-negotiable demand is for the Islamic Republic to abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons. “Get rid of their nuclear weapons. That’s all very simple,” he added. “There will be no nuclear weapon.”
Meanwhile, peace talks between Israel and Lebanon will resume on Thursday in Washington, according to an Israeli source. Lebanon’s president had earlier emphasized that these talks should be seen as separate from any negotiations taking place with Iran.
