Vance heads to Islamabad, says Trump gave guidelines on Iran talks
WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance left for Islamabad on Friday to lead an American delegation that would hold talks with Iranian representatives.
Before leaving for Pakistan, Vance told reporters at Joint Base Andrews that he was looking forward to the upcoming negotiations with Iran and that he expected the talks in Islamabad to be positive.
He also said US President Donald Trump gave him “some pretty clear guidelines” on negotiations.
Vance further stated: “As the US president said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.“
On Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed Tehran’s participation in Pakistan-brokered peace talks with the United States in Islamabad to finalise a peaceful settlement to the conflict.
The US also confirmed its participation in the talks, with the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that the US was dispatching a team of negotiators led by US Vice President JD Vance and including US Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, with the “first round” taking place on Saturday. Pakistan has positioned itself as a facilitator in the peace process between Tehran and Washington. Earlier this week, the country’s diplomatic efforts culminated in a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran announced by PM Shehbaz. Monitoring Desk
