US Vice President JD Vance will give the second round of talks with Iran a miss and Donald Trump is sending adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiations in Islamabad.
It should be noted that Vance earlier cancelled his trip to Islamabad after Iran failed to send any representatives for the talks earlier this week.
Why is JD Vance skipping Islamabad talks?
JD Vance is currently not planning to attend the initial stages of the negotiations as Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will not be present. The Trump administration considers Ghalibaf as a key counterpart in the Iranian delegation.
However, US officials said Vance is currently on standby and could travel to Islamabad if the negotiations make progress constructively. His staff members are already in Islamabad to support the ongoing talks.
According to Al Jazeera, nine US aircraft landed in Islamabad this week, transporting vehicles, security and technical personnel and communications equipment to prepare for the talks.
Earlier, when Iran refused to attend the second round of talks, Pakistani sources quoted by NY Post claimed that the "current hard stance is posturing to extract maximum advantage when second round happens."
On ground, the Pakistani authorities are busy arranging the venue and accommodation at Islamabad's Marriott Hotel and Serena Hotel. Serena Hotel made headlines last week after the Pakistani authorities failed to settle dues after the first round of talks between the US and Iran on April 11.
This comes as Trump unilaterally extended a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday at the 11th hour to allow more time to reconvene the negotiators. Later, the US president said was in no rush to reach an agreement with Iran and wanted it to be "everlasting," while asserting that Washington had an upper hand in the Strait of Hormuz imbroglio.
