Talks stalled due to threat of second round of Hormuz hardball
TOI correspondent from Washington: The prospects of a second round of talks between the United States and Iran hang in suspense amid mistrust and misinformation, as Tehran has told Washington that it is not ready to come to Islamabad due to US provocations in the Persian Gulf. The message relayed through Pakistan and Iranian official media has stalled US Vice President JD Vance’s second visit to Islamabad in a week, even though President Trump portrayed the visit and even the outcome as an agreement in an apparent attempt to pressure Iran with a mix of coercion and inducement. At the time of writing this report, Vance was yet to fly to Pakistan. Repeatedly suggesting that there is a division in the Iranian leadership between hard-line clerics and moderates, Trump said in a social media post, “If Iran’s new leaders (regime change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!” When he attempted to persuade the Iranian team to come to Islamabad after issuing his customary threats of destroying the country. But there was no sign of Iran backing down as it insisted the US lift its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and refrain from other aggressive action if it wanted talks. Trump, for his part, said the US would not lift the naval blockade until the deal is signed and would resume bombing Iran on Wednesday evening at the end of the two-week ceasefire. All this led to US Vice President J.D. Vance being treated as a victim of the President’s whims, waiting to board Air Force Two for the 15-hour flight to Islamabad for talks, with no guarantee of an outcome. Bizarrely, Trump first told US news outlets that Vance would not be going due to security concerns and then reversed course by saying he was going, but then appeared to derail the trip by announcing the seizure of an Iranian cargo ship that he said was trying to evade the US blockade. This announcement effectively broke down the negotiations. “While claiming readiness for diplomacy and dialogue, the US is behaving in a way that in no way indicates seriousness in pursuing the diplomatic process,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said in Tehran. He described the US blockade and seizure of the cargo ship as a “clear violation of the ceasefire”. “We have no plans for the next round of talks and no decision has been taken in this regard,” Bakayei said, adding that Pakistan has blocked Islamabad from hosting the second round of talks. In Washington, Trump also emphasized the growing perception in the US that he was led into the war by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Israel never talked to me about a war with Iran, the October 7 results have further reinforced my lifelong opinion that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” he said in a social media post, as Americans expressed their disapproval of another US war in surveys that now put the US president’s approval rating in the 30s. The administration is facing increasing pressure from voters and lawmakers to limit how much it is spending on the war amid rising prices, especially on gas, which have risen from about $2.50-$3.00 per gallon before the war to more than $4.00 in much of the country. Trump fumed, “I watch and read the fake news pundits and pollsters with complete disbelief. 90% of what they say is lies and fabricated stories, and the election is rigged, just like the 2020 presidential election was rigged.”