top line
A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance is meeting face-to-face with Iranian and Pakistani officials on Saturday to begin talks to establish peace, a high-level meeting as a two-week ceasefire agreement announced earlier by President Donald Trump appears fragile.
Talks between America and Iran started in Pakistan on Saturday. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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important facts
An unnamed Pakistani official told associated Press Negotiations between the United States and Iran are making “good progress”.
Vance is leading the US delegation along with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for a one-on-one meeting with Iranian officials, reportedly brokered by Pakistan.
Before leaving for Pakistan, Vance said he hoped the talks would be “positive” but warned Iran not to “mess with us.”
US and Iranian leaders met independently with Pakistani mediators early Saturday, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calling the talks a “make or break moment.” new York Times Informed.
Trump, in a post Saturday morning true socialcriticized the “fake news media” for suggesting that Iran is winning the war “when, in fact, everyone knows they are losing, and losing big!”
Trump claimed that Iran’s navy, air force, aircraft equipment and drone and missile capabilities have been “largely destroyed,” adding that the country’s “long-time ‘leader’ is no longer with us, praise Allah!”
He also claimed that the United States is starting the process of “clearing the Strait of Hormuz on behalf of countries around the world”, naming China, Japan, South Korea, France and Germany, while adding that these countries “don’t have the courage or the will to do it themselves.”
main background
The talks between the United States and Iran come days after Trump announced a two-week ceasefire Threat He said that “the entire civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” unless Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The ceasefire has proven fragile as attacks continue across the Middle East, with Israel carrying out strikes in Lebanon, killing more than 300 people. Iran has Said The attacks on Lebanon violate the ceasefire, but the United States and Israel have claimed that Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire. Some world leaders have expressed doubt that the ceasefire will hold, including European Commission vice-president and EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas. Kallas initially praised the ceasefire but warned that Israeli attacks on Lebanon were “putting the US-Iran ceasefire under severe strain.” French President Emmanuel Macron said the ceasefire agreement would not be “credible and lasting” unless it included Lebanon. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also warned that attacks on Lebanon could “derail the entire peace process.”
what to see
Talks between Israel and Lebanon may start next week associated Press According to the report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he would “start direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible.” Netanyahu also said Thursday that Israel “will continue to attack Hezbollah with force and will not stop until we restore security.”
tangent line
As negotiations began between the United States and Iran, Trump said In a Truth Social post Saturday morning, he is headed to Virginia for meetings at the Trump National Golf Club outside Washington, DC. In the same post, Trump attacked Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, accusing her of overtaxing and forcing Virginians to flee the state.
Further reading
Keir Starmer questions Trump’s values—as global leaders express disbelief over Iran ceasefire (Forbes)
