Vice President J.D. Vance’s planned visit to Pakistan to renew peace talks with Iran has been postponed, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
The Times, citing a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the situation, reported that the delay was caused by Iran’s failure to comply with the latest U.S. negotiating position.
As a result of this situation, stock prices fell and oil prices rose. This has heightened concerns that a diplomatic end to the US-Israel war against Iran may be further away.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters late on Tuesday that Pakistan had not yet persuaded the United States to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz, the focal point of the war.
An Iranian official told Reuters that Iran denies that negotiations could take place under pressure or with the aim of forcing Tehran to surrender.
The official added that Iran may continue to attend talks with the United States in Pakistan if the United States withdraws its pressure and intimidation policies, according to Reuters.
The Times report comes as a fragile two-week ceasefire with Iran brokered on the night of April 7 is about to expire.
It is unclear exactly when the US negotiating team was scheduled to leave for Islamabad. President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. delegation is “on the way now.” But a person familiar with the matter told CNBC late Monday that the delegation was preparing to head to Islamabad “immediately.”
Nevertheless, President Trump said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday morning that he thinks the United States “will eventually come to a big deal” with Iran to end the war. President Trump also said he did not expect an extension of the ceasefire.
Days after the ceasefire began, Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held the first round of peace talks with the Iranians in Pakistan’s capital. These negotiations ended 21 hours later without an agreement.
A White House official told MS NOW on Tuesday afternoon that Vance was participating in “additional policy meetings” at the White House.
Vance’s motorcade was seen arriving at the White House in the early afternoon, CNN reported.
