By Chris Summers
Contributing Writer
Vice President JD Vance departed for peace talks with Iran in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Friday, saying he thinks the outcome is “going to be positive.”
Vance added that President Donald Trump had given “clear guidelines” and warned the Iranian delegation against trying to “play us.”
In a Thursday post on X, Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran will “take the management of the Strait of Hormuz to a new phase.”
“We will certainly demand full reparations for all damages caused, as well as blood money for the martyrs and compensation for the war’s wounded,” he said in a separate post on X.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically vital maritime chokepoints, with about 20% of the world’s seaborne crude oil and liquefied natural gas passing through it.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered to host the peace talks after playing a crucial role in securing the 14-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which was announced on Tuesday.
The first round of talks is scheduled for Saturday, although it is still unclear who will lead the Iranian delegation. There have been reports that it includes the Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf.
Vance, who served in the Marines in the Iraq War and spent two years as a U.S. senator for Ohio, is being accompanied by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner.
“We’re looking forward to the negotiation,” Vance said as he boarded Air Force Two at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. “I think it’s going to be positive. We’ll, of course, see.”
US Extending ‘Open Hand’
Vance said Trump had told him that “if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand.”
“If they’re going to try and play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive,” Vance added.
No timetable or deadline has been set for the talks, but Vance said Trump “gave us some pretty clear guidelines” on how to conduct the talks.
The ceasefire remains unstable, with Tehran claiming the ceasefire included Lebanon and that it was being breached by Israeli attacks on Hezbollah. Kuwait has also accused Iran and its proxies of conducting fresh drone attacks on its territory on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Vance dismissed reports that the Iranians had specifically asked for him to join the delegation.
“I don’t know that. I would be surprised if that was true,” Vance said. “But, you know, I wanted to be involved because I thought I could make a difference.”
The talks will take place within Islamabad’s Red Zone, a heavily fortified area that houses the president’s and prime minister’s offices and foreign embassies.
Pakistan, which has a large Shia Muslim minority, has seen demonstrations in support of Iran during the conflict, which began on Feb. 28.
On March 1, at least 22 pro-Iran demonstrators were killed when they clashed with police after trying to storm the U.S. Consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi.
In a separate development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” in a bid to secure a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
