Vance delays his flight to Islamabad and increases uncertainty about the ceasefire
The US vice president has not yet boarded the plane and Tehran has not yet confirmed that it will sit back at the negotiating table
WashingtonThe hope of avoiding a new military escalation between the US and Iran is fading. The only party that seems to be still rowing to prevent the ceasefire from ending without a new extension is Pakistan, the mediating country, which is still working to bring the two countries to the table. But Iran has not yet officially responded whether it will return to the negotiating table, and the White House's predisposition seems to be cooling. For now, Vice President J.D. Vance has not flown to Islamabad, as had been announced. The Republican is scheduled to participate in several government meetings throughout the day to decide the next steps, according to sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
has not yet officially responded if it will return to the negotiating tableTrump said this Tuesday morning that he is "ready" to resume hostilities and has once again assured that he does not want to extend the truce. "We don't have much time," he said in a phone interview with CNBC when asked about the possibility of postponing the expiration. Although Tehran's statements seem to be far from showing any public progress in the talks, Trump continues to insist that he believes the US will achieve "a great deal".
Tarar, acknowledged that at 7:30 p.m. (Pakistan time) they had still not received any confirmation from the Iranians regarding their participation in a new round of talks. The delay in Vance's trip to Islamabad also darkens the outlook. The U.S. delegation will not risk traveling to the Pakistani capital without being clear that Tehran will show up. The main reason for Vance's departure being postponed is that the White House wants firm guarantees that a solid agreement can be reached in the new round of talks.
The first meeting - and so far the only one - in Islamabad lasted more than 20 hours and ended without any understanding. Iranian sources leaked to the media that one of the major points of disagreement was the Strait of Hormuz. The ayatollahs demand to be recognized as the main actor controlling the passage. The U.S. side focused on the nuclear issue. When Vance appeared to announce that he was returning to Washington without an agreement, he underlined the Iranians' inability to yield on the nuclear program issue.
Last week, Trump stated that the U.S. had agreed with "nuclear dust" buried in the ruins of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, which were bombed in June 2025. The term "nuclear dust" is the concept Trump uses to refer to enriched uranium in the hands of the Iranians, which is considered one of the main security concerns of the U.S. The announcement that Americans will be able to recover these remains has not been confirmed by Iran.
The other two strong men of the negotiating team, special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are also flying from Miami to Washington, according to the Axios portal. In theory, their flight had departed from Florida to make a stopover in Europe and head to Pakistan. One of Iran's recent demands to confirm attendance at the new peace rounds was to see Vance board the plane heading to the Asian country. The price of a barrel of crude oil has once again touched $100 after the U.S. delegation's trip to Islamabad was put on hold.
The blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continues
Blockade continues in the Strait of HormuzEarly Tuesday morning, the United States military boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean, 600 kilometers off the coast of Sri Lanka. This is the tanker M/T Tifani, and the operation is part of Washington's efforts to choke Iran by seizing sanctioned vessels that, according to the White House's version, "provide material support to Iran." The operation was carried out on the high seas. Regarding this issue, the Pentagon reiterated in a statement that international waters "are not a refuge for sanctioned ships." "The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their ships freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain," Washington emphasized.
