Donald Trump said earlier on Monday in an interview that JD Vance was on his way to Islamabad; that he would be there later on Monday or early on Tuesday for the next round of talks.
US officials then quickly pointed out that JD Vance was still in Washington.
The intention was that he’d leave on Tuesday with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and they would be in Islamabad, but only if they thought there were going to be talks.
It’s a bad look to have your vice president fly all the way to Islamabad and then find out that the other side doesn’t turn up.
So the talks are on hold at the moment, until we get some clarification, some public-facing movement that JD Vance is actually on his way to Islamabad.
That, perhaps, will give us an indication that the Iranians are going to be in Pakistan.
For the time being, there’s no intention of his being there if there’s no chance of a deal.
But in these occasions, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes that we simply don’t see.
A recap of recent developments
- With just one day until the ceasefire expires, diplomatic efforts to end the war remain uncertain, with the US saying its delegation will travel to Islamabad for talks only if Iran confirms attendance.
- Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says Tehran will “not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats” and is prepared to “reveal new cards on the battlefield”.
- US President Donald Trump, however, insists that a deal with Iran will happen “relatively quickly” and says the naval blockade of Iranian ports will continue until an agreement is reached.
- The US State Department has confirmed that Israel and Lebanon will be holding a second round of talks in Washington, DC, on Thursday.
- Israel continues to bombard southern Lebanon, wounding six people in an air attack on the town of Qaaqaaiyet El Jisr in recent hours, and demolishing homes in the town of Khiam in violation of a 10-day ceasefire.
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