Soon after President Donald Trump, as per ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, said that Vice President will not be a part of the American delegation set to visit Pakistan on Monday for the US-Iran peace deal, the White House issued a clarification. Officials told CNN that Vance will attend the talks in Islamabad with special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Earlier in the day, Karl reported: “President Trump just told me Vance will not be going to Islamabad. He said the issue is security — the Secret Service couldn’t do it on 24 hours notice.”
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JD Vance might be asked to return
As per the CNN report, Vance will be traveling to Islamabad on Monday. However, there is more to this story. The Secret Service reportedly does not want the VP and the president in the same place at the same time. This is because of security risks. Trump has indicated that he might be going to Pakistan should a final deal materialize. It is likely that Vance would return to the US before the president gets on a plane.
A White House official, in response to the confusion and conflicting messages, told CNN that ‘things changed’.
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Trump ramps up pressure on Iran
Meanwhile, Trump issued a stark warning to Iran, threatening major strikes if a deal is not reached before the ceasefire expires. He said on his Truth Social platform that he was offering Iran ‘a reasonable deal’ and if Tehran refuses, ‘the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!’
“They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years,” he added.
The 79-year-old also accused Tehran of breaching the agreement, calling recent actions a ‘Total Violation’ of the two-week ceasefire.
Strait of Hormuz shut again
The strategic Strait of Hormuz remained closed on Sunday after Iran reversed its earlier position and declared the waterway shut once more. The closure comes despite earlier indications that the passage, vital for global oil shipments, would be reopened during the ceasefire period.
Tensions escalated further following multiple reported incidents in the Gulf.
A UK maritime security agency said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had fired at one tanker on Saturday, while security intelligence firm Vanguard Tech reported the force had threatened to ‘destroy’ an empty cruise ship that was fleeing the Gulf.
In another case, the UK agency said it received a report of a vessel ‘being hit by an unknown projectile, which caused damage’ to shipping containers but no fire.
Ceasefire deal update
Even as tensions rise, diplomatic channels remain active ahead of the ceasefire deadline on Wednesday. Mike Waltz expressed optimism about upcoming negotiations, saying a new round of talks could produce an ‘incredibly consequential’ outcome.
The same group of negotiators had last met on April 11–12 as part of ongoing efforts to stabilize the situation.
(With AFP inputs)
