New York: There was confusion over US Vice President J.D. Vance travelling to Pakistan to lead the US in talks with Iran, after President Donald Trump ruled it out on Sunday citing security concerns, while the White House said he would attend.
Trump told two television programmes that Vance would not be going to Islamabad for the second round of direct negotiations that he said would take place next week.
But both CNN and The New York Times reported soon afterwards that, according to White House officials, Vance would indeed be at the talks, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Special Representative Steve Witkoff.
An ABC News interviewer said that Trump told him “that Vice President Vance will not be leading the US delegation to Islamabad”.
The interviewer, Jonathan Karl, reported: “He said it’s because of security — the Secret Service did not feel comfortable having the vice president go to Pakistan on 24 hours’ notice. He added: ‘JD is great’.”
Trump also told MSNBC’s Jacqueline Alemany that Vance would not be going because 24 hours was too short to make security arrangements.
Pakistan is a nation wracked by terrorism, caused in part by its policy of exporting terrorism that has boomeranged.
Iran has not confirmed that it is participating in a new round of direct talks in Islamabad.
Trump said that his representatives would be in Islamabad on Monday.
He told Fox News that his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Special Representative Steve Witkoff would be leading the US side in the talks with Iran.
Although the Strait of Hormuz remained closed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Trump was going ahead with the talks, while also issuing fresh threats against Iran if it did not make a deal.
“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,” he said on Truth Social.
“NO MORE MR. NICE GUY,” he added.
There appeared to be a power struggle between the diplomatic and military establishments in Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that the “Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open” for commercial shipping, but the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) countermanded it on Saturday.
Trump confirmed Araghchi’s statement with a “Thank you” post.
The IRGC said that the Strait was closed because the US was blockading its ports, and fired on two Indian ships on Saturday.
Trump did not immediately declare the ceasefire dead or take retaliatory action because he was invested in getting the negotiations to succeed as he faces increased pressure at home because of the impact of the war on the economy.
About the IRGC Navy’s hostile action in the Strait, Trump said, “That wasn’t nice, was it?”
But he added, “My representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — they will be there tomorrow evening, for negotiations. Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it.”
Trump has claimed that Iran had agreed to most of the US demands, including forswearing nuclear ambitions forever.
Again, there was no confirmation of this from Iran, which continued its bellicose rhetoric.
(IANS)
