In notable comments online, the UAE’s Minister of Industry criticized the status quo around the strait. “This moment requires clarity,” wrote Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, who is also chief executive of state-controlled oil giant ADNOC. “Let’s be clear: the Strait of Hormuz is not open. Access is being restricted, conditioned and controlled.”
Vance vowed in remarks in Hungary that war would resume unless Tehran followed through on its promise to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where about 110 ships traveled daily before the war began. “The president will not abide by our conditions if the Iranians are not abiding by his conditions,” he said.
White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt hailed the two-week ceasefire as a “victory” for the United States, saying it was “completely unacceptable” if the Strait of Hormuz was indeed largely closed, although she said the President had been privately assured that it would remain open.
“We have seen an increase in traffic in the strait today, and I will reiterate the President’s expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened immediately, quickly and safely,” Leavitt told reporters at a briefing. “This is their expectation. This is what they have been told privately that this is what is happening, and these reports publicly are false.”
Mahdi Mohammadi, an adviser to the speaker of Iran’s parliament, suggested on Twitter that Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon threatened to derail the talks completely. “There will be no ceasefire or negotiations without America’s rabid dog in Lebanon being fully reined in and the missiles ready to launch,” Mohammadi said.
The precise nature of the diplomatic talks scheduled in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad was also coming into focus on Thursday. Vance will also be joined by White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The composition of the Iranian delegation was not immediately known.
Vance had been in touch with Pakistani mediators about a possible deal over the past two weeks, according to a source familiar with the discussions, leading to a flurry of diplomatic activity during a trip abroad to Hungary on Monday and Tuesday.
Trump instructed them to convey a version of the message he had given publicly: The U.S. is ready for a possible ceasefire, but only if certain U.S. demands are met, the source said.
Vance also repeatedly delivered a “strong message” that Trump was becoming increasingly impatient and would place greater pressure on Iranian infrastructure unless Tehran made a deal, telling mediators that Trump was going to make “categorically clear” that he was prepared to attack targets that the US had not yet attacked.
For its part, Iran’s envoy to Pakistan said on Twitter that the regime’s delegation would arrive in Pakistan on Thursday night – before deleting the post without explanation.
Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said that “despite skepticism over Iranian public opinion due to repeated ceasefire violations by the Iranian regime,” the group would travel to Islamabad at the invitation of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He did not provide any further comment before deleting the post less than an hour later.
