Washington DC: US Vice President JD Vance is set to arrive in Islamabad on Monday evening to lead a high-level American delegation in a second round of ceasefire negotiations with Iran, CNN reported, citing White House on Sunday. The visit comes as the current two-week ceasefire window, brokered on April 8, is set to expire on April 22. The atmosphere surrounding the talks has turned increasingly combative following reported ceasefire violations and a public ultimatum from President Donald Trump. The US team, which includes Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner, aims to break a deadlock that paralysed the first round of talks, CNN said, citing White House. The primary sticking points remain Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the status of the Strait of Hormuz.
CNN also reports that Iranian sources suggest a delegation will arrive on Tuesday to discuss an extension. However, hardliners in Tehran, via the Tasnim News Agency, have pushed back, stating no talks will proceed while the US, naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect. In a Sunday interview with Fox News, President Trump alluded to internal friction within the Iranian regime, citing a struggle between “moderates” and “crazies” as a factor in the negotiation’s volatility, while confirming that Kushner and Witkoff were departing for Islamabad for talks. In a post on Truth Social, Trump had warned of severe repercussions, including an attack on Iranian energy and civil infrastructure, if Iran “doesn’t take the deal.” President Trump has signalled that the era of “shadow diplomacy” is over. In a series of posts on Truth Social and his Fox News interview, he threatened the destruction of Iranian civil infrastructure if a deal is not signed immediately. “If the deal isn’t done, the deal that we made, then I’m going to take out their bridges and their power plants,” Trump said. “If they don’t sign this thing, the whole country is going to get blown up,” Fox News cited Trump as saying. (ANI)
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