Vice President JD Vance, who is leading the US-Iran ceasefire talks in Islamabad, warned Tehran not to ‘play’ Washington on Friday. This comes as President Donald Trump tasked Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to mediate talks in Pakistan.
“If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand,” Vance told reporters before boarding Air Force Two to make his way to the talks in Pakistan. But he added, “If they’re gonna try and play us, then they’re gonna find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
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Vance also said that Trump “gave us some pretty clear guidelines” on how talks should go, but he didn’t elaborate. He did not take questions from reporters traveling with him.
The VP’s trip comes days after the US and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire. However, Israel’s attack on Lebanon has put the deal at risk.
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Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a controversial figure, is part of Tehran’s team in Islamabad, and the stakes could not be higher. If talks collapse, the temporary truce may expire, potentially reigniting a broader conflict that Trump has warned could result in a scenario where ‘a whole civilization will die’.
Read More: Iran’s last-minute, 2-point caveat for talks with US in Islamabad: Stop Lebanon war, and unfreeze assets
The decision to send Vance instead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sparked debate in policy circles. Jonathan Wachtel, a former US mission advisor to the United Nations, criticized the move.
“Elevating the talks to the vice presidential level raises the stakes unnecessarily and, worse, rewards this murderous regime’s attempt to dictate who sits across the table. You never allow an adversary to choose your negotiating team,” he said, as per The Daily Mail.
The White House has rejected claims that Tehran influenced the decision.“It’s utterly false and peddled to attempt to quash negotiations,” an official said. “President Trump asked Vice President Vance to lead the negotiations.”
Iran’s 10-point plan at the center of the meeting
According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Iran submitted a 10-point proposal that was revised to align with a US 15-point framework, including potential concessions on enriched uranium.
Read More: ‘Only reason they are alive today…’: Trump goes ballistic ahead of US-Iran negotiations, as Vance heads to Islamabad
Still, major sticking points remain, especially Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil chokepoint.
As Vance made his way to the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in a social media post that a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel is targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, and the release of blocked Iranian assets “must be fulfilled before negotiations begin.” He did not elaborate further.
(With AP inputs)
