An expected trip by Vice President JD Vance to Pakistan for a second attempt at peace negotiations with Iran has been put on hold, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
The delay came after Tehran failed to respond to the latest U.S. negotiating positions, the Times reported, citing a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the situation.
Stocks fell and oil prices rose following the development, which raised fears that a diplomatic end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran could be moving further out of reach.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters later Tuesday that Pakistan has yet to persuade the U.S. to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz, a central point of conflict in the war.
Iran rejects the prospect of negotiations being conducted under pressure or aimed at Tehran surrendering, the the Iranian official told Reuters.
The official added that Iran could still attend talks with the U.S. in Pakistan if Washington backs off its policies of pressure and threats, Reuters reported.
The Times report came as a fragile two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran, brokered on the evening of April 7, was set to soon expire.
It was unclear precisely when a U.S. negotiating team was set to depart for Islamabad. President Donald Trump said Monday that a U.S. delegation was “heading over now.” But a source familiar with the matter told CNBC later Monday that the delegation was gearing up to travel to Islamabad “soon.”
Trump nevertheless told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday morning that he thinks the U.S. is “going to end up with a great deal” with Iran to end the war. Trump also said he does not expect to extend the ceasefire.
Days after that ceasefire began, Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held an initial round of peace talks in the Pakistani capital with their Iranian counterparts. Those talks ended after 21 hours with no deal.
Vance is participating in “additional policy meetings” at the White House, an official there told MS NOW on Tuesday afternoon.
Vance’s motorcade was spotted arriving at the White House earlier in the afternoon, CNN reported.
