VP Vance’s trip to Pakistan for peace talks on hold, US official says

USA VP Vance’s trip to Pakistan for peace talks on hold, US official says; comes as Iran hasn’t committed to attending.Two regional officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the United States and Iran have signaled they will hold a new round of talks. Pakistan-led mediators received confirmation that top negotiators, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, are expected to arrive in Islamabad early Wednesday to lead their teams, the officials told The Associated Press.

As of Tuesday evening, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Iran had not formally confirmed it would participate in more talks, noting the looming deadline.
Also Read: Iran-US peace deal key to avoiding tougher times for Pakistan and global economy: Fereeha Idrees“An Iranian decision to attend the talks before the end of the two-week ceasefire is critical,” he said in a post on X.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday there was ‘no final decision’ on whether to attend ceasefire talks. The spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, told state TV that the lack of a decision was not due to “indecisiveness,” but rather because of “contradictory messages” and “unacceptable actions” from the Americans.

Also Read: India-US trade talks must finish before new tariffs kick in: Ex-US trade official