ISLAMABAD: Vice President JD Vance will lead a United States (US) delegation to Pakistan with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for Iran negotiations on Tuesday, the White House said on Sunday, as Iranian state news agency reported that Tehran had rejected the fresh peace talks.
The White House comments came after President Donald Trump said US negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran, raising hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday even as Washington and Tehran remain in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
“VP Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner are attending,” the White House said in response to an Arab News query about the US delegates attending Tuesday’s talks in Islamabad.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency cited no specific source in its report that Iran had rejected the talks.
“Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” IRNA wrote.
Iran on Saturday said it had received new proposals from the United States.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke on Sunday afternoon with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, and emphasized the need for “continued dialogue” for peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Trump’s threat on Sunday to knock out power plants and other infrastructure in Iran followed Tehran’s reassertion of the control of the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Washington of violating a two-week ceasefire agreement, reached on April 8, by blockading Iranian ports.
The US this week imposed a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after high-stakes talks between US and Iran officials in Islamabad on April 11 ended without an agreement to end their war, which began on Feb. 28 and has rattled the Middle East as well as disrupted global energy and cargo supplies.
In Islamabad, preparations appeared to be underway for a resumption of talks, ahead of the expected end to the ceasefire on Wednesday.
Rolls of barbed wire could be seen near the Serena Hotel where the first round of negotiations was held. The hotel told guests on Sunday they would need to leave due to a government event, a hotel representative said, adding that no reservations were being taken until further notice. In central Islamabad, there was a heavy police and army presence.
Iran had announced the strait’s reopening after a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon took hold on Friday.
After a brief uptick in transit attempts on Saturday, Iran fired on two India-flagged merchant ships that were forced to turn around, leading India to summon Iran’s ambassador over the “serious incident.”
