US Vice-President JD Vance is en route to Islamabad, Pakistan, where he will lead high stakes talks with the Iranians as part of efforts to broker peace since a ceasefire was struck on Tuesday.
Vance boarded Air Force Two moments ago on Friday and is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on Saturday.
“We’re looking forward to the negotiation. I think it’s going to be positive,” the vice-president told reporters on the tarmac ahead of his departure.
“As the president of the United States 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 going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
He noted that President Donald Trump had given “clear guidelines” on the negotiations but did not give details.
Vance is the highest-ranking US official to enter negotiations with Iran since 1979.
Over the past year, the US negotiating team has been led by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, US envoy.
Kushner and Witkoff are among the delegation led by Vance.
It is not strange that Islamabad is hosting the negotiation talks. Pakistan has acted as an intermediary between Iran and the US over the last few weeks, passing messages between the two.
It is trusted by the Gulf countries, US, and Iran, with which it shares a border and regularly refers to its “brotherly” relationship with the Islamic Republic.
Trump has described Asim Munir, head of Pakistan’s armed forces, as his “favourite” field marshall and said he knows Iran “better than most”
