JD Vance’s trip to Islamabad for Iran negotiations on hold | US-Israel war on Iran
J.D. Vance’s planned visit to Islamabad, where he was expected to lead talks on a nuclear deal to end the war with Iran, was suspended Tuesday after Tehran did not respond about joining that deal, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.
US vice president It was scheduled to depart on Tuesday. It’s morning for the second round of talks on Wednesday, the last day of a fragile two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
However, Iran had not confirmed Vance’s participation as the time of his departure approached. Without an Iranian response, the diplomatic process is effectively in limbo and the White House will not send Vance unless there is a firm plan for a meeting with the Iranians, the people said.
The trip has not been canceled and Vance could travel immediately if Iran responds, the sources said. On Tuesday afternoon, Vance was seen arriving at the White House for emergency meetings that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also set to attend.
The delay marks the latest hurdle in the Trump administration’s effort to achieve a nuclear deal with Iran, and every hour Vance remains in Washington threatens to drag the United States and Iran back into conflict over the end of the ceasefire.
Donald Trump has told advisers in recent days that he will not extend the ceasefire until Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz, the Guardian previously reported. Iranian officials, on the other hand, stated that they did not want to participate in new talks until the US lifted the blockade on its ports.
Speaking in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday, Trump publicly reiterated that he has no intention of extending the ceasefire and announced that he expects to continue bombing Iran.
“I expect to bomb because I think that’s the better attitude,” Trump said. “We’re ready to go. The army is raring to go.”
When asked if he would extend the ceasefire, he replied: “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that time.”
Despite his sharp language, the US president said he believed a deal was still possible. Sources familiar with the matter said Trump’s negotiating team, led by Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, also expressed optimism that a deal could be reached with Iran.
According to sources, the previous round of talks in Islamabad focused mainly on a possible deal in which the US would release $20 billion in frozen funds or equivalent sanctions relief if Iran transfers its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US.
Trump’s negotiators believe a cash-for-uranium deal has the best chance of succeeding because money is the best incentive for Iranian leaders, who are grappling with an economy battered by sanctions and the economic costs of the current conflict, the sources said.
Although Trump agreed to such a framework at the time — Vance had been communicating with the president via conference call throughout the process to seek approval of any deal, the people said — he publicly announced Friday that he would not provide any funding to Iran.
Confusion and confusion between talk of war and peace have become a hallmark of Trump’s approach to war.
On Monday, Trump wavered between warning that a potential deal was imminent and warning that “lots of bombs” would “start going off” if negotiations fail. Earlier in the month, he threatened the destruction of “an entire civilization” in Iran and said civilians were actively welcoming US attacks on the country’s infrastructure.
Meanwhile, in Tehran, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, Published on X “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” he said early Tuesday, accusing Washington of wanting Iran to surrender rather than a real solution.
