J.D. Vance warns Iran not to ‘play us’ as he departs for Pakistan-led talks
Vice President JD Vance warned Iran not to “play” with the United States as it left for high-stakes negotiations in Pakistan amid a two-week ceasefire.
Mr. Vance said Friday that he expected positive negotiations in Islamabad after President Trump reached a truce with Tehran to set the table for negotiations on a lasting peace.
“If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly willing to extend a hand to them. If they try to play us, then they will find that the negotiating team is not very receptive,” Mr. Vance said before boarding his plane outside Washington.
“So we’re going to try to have a positive negotiation,” Mr. Vance said. “The president has given us some pretty clear guidelines, and we’ll see.”
The United States and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran on February 28 to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and degrade its missile capabilities.
Mr. Trump wants Iran to stop funding terrorist groups in the Middle East. There are also thorny negotiating points over Iran’s ability to enrich uranium and the extent of its control over the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for oil traffic.
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The president warned Iran late Thursday not to impose tolls on ships trying to cross the strait. The reduction in traffic crossing the strait has led to a rise in oil prices.
Mr Vance will be joined in Pakistan by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Pakistan welcomes its role as a key mediator in the conflict and announced on Friday that it would issue visas on arrival to journalists wishing to cover the negotiations.
