Vance addresses Iran ceasefire confusion ahead of weekend talks

Investing.com -- U.S. Vice President JD Vance spoke to reporters on Wednesday regarding the Iran ceasefire agreement, as President Donald Trump prepares to send his negotiating team to Pakistan for talks scheduled to begin on Saturday.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Vance will lead the delegation, which includes U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Vance addressed concerns raised by Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who claimed three clauses of Iran’s 10-Point Proposal had been violated before negotiations began. Ghalibaf cited non-compliance with a ceasefire in Lebanon, a drone intrusion into Iranian airspace, and denial of Iran’s enrichment rights.

The vice president dismissed the Lebanon issue as a reasonable misunderstanding, stating that the U.S. and Israel did not say Lebanon was part of the ceasefire. He added that the Israelis have offered to check themselves in Lebanon and that talks between Israel and the U.S. took place on Wednesday.

Regarding Ghalibaf’s statement, Vance said he wondered how good the Iranian official is at understanding English. He noted that no ceasefire ever goes without a little choppiness and that the U.S. wants to stop the bombing but it will take time.

Vance said the U.S. position on Iran enrichment has not changed. He stated that if Iran does not hold up the agreement, there will be consequences, and there will be no sanctions relief if Iran develops a nuclear weapon.

The vice president said the administration will see what Iran is willing to give up during negotiations. If Iran does not provide what the U.S. needs, talks will be bad, he added.

Vance said he is seeing signs the Strait is starting to reopen and that fundamentally, the U.S. is in a good spot on Iran.

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