Vance to Lead US Negotiating Team in Pakistan

Vice President JD Vance will lead the United States’ negotiating team in Pakistan to work out the details of a peace agreement with Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. 

“The president is dispatching his negotiating team led by the Vice President of the United States JD Vance, Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff, and Jared Kushner to Islamabad for talks this weekend,” she said.  

“The first round of those talks will take place on Saturday morning, local time, and we know we look forward to those in-person meetings,” she added. 

Leavitt briefed the press the day after the president announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran to finalize a peace agreement. Trump made the announcement hours before his deadline for Iran to make a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Leavitt said Vance “played a very significant and a key role” in Iran negotiations “since the beginning.”

“Of course, he’s the president’s right hand man,” she said. “He’s the vice president of the United States. He’s been involved in all of these discussions, and as I just announced, he’ll be leading this new phase of negotiations.”

One topic of negotiation will likely be the status of the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump has said it must be open for a successful ceasefire.

The strait remained shut to vessels sailing without a permit, and shippers said they needed more clarity before resuming transit, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

“Privately, we have seen an uptick of traffic in this trade today, and I will reiterate the president’s expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly, and safely,” Leavitt said.

“Iran publicly acknowledged last night that they wanted this ceasefire with the United States because they no longer can tolerate being bombed by our very powerful military,” she said, “that they have committed to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which the president will hold them accountable for, and it’s something the president is closely monitoring at this time.”

The ceasefire may also be on shaky ground after Israel hit Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, although Israel and the U.S. said the ceasefire did not cover Lebanon. Iran threatened retaliation and said the attacks violate the ceasefire deal. Iran also struck oil facilities in nearby Gulf countries.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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