Compiled from news services
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the Trump administration is sending a negotiating team, led by Vice President JD Vance, to Islamabad, Pakistan, for talks with Iran. The first round of talks is scheduled to take place on Saturday morning.
The team will also include U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser.
Other updates on the war in Iran from Wednesday include the following:
White House: Iranian 10-Point Plan Was Unacceptable
Leavitt said Iran’s initial 10-point plan was unacceptable and was thrown out by Trump.
Leavitt said it was “falsely reported” that the plan was acceptable to the United States. The Iranian regime subsequently put forward a “more reasonable and entirely different and condensed plan” which was considered “a workable basis on which to negotiate,” paving the way for the two-week ceasefire.
“The president’s red lines, namely, the end of Iranian enrichment in Iran, have not changed, and the idea that President Trump would ever accept an Iranian wish list as a deal is completely absurd,” Leavitt said.
The press secretary reiterated that “the president will only make a deal that serves in the best interests of the United States of America.”
Leavitt said yes when asked whether Iran has given any indications in negotiations with the United States that it is willing to turn over its cache of enriched uranium.
“This is on the top of the priority list for the president and his negotiating team as they head into this next round of discussions. And as I said in my opener, that is a red line that the president is not going to back away from, and he’s committed to ensuring that takes place,” she said.
“We hope it will be through diplomacy.”
China Played Role in Cease-Fire Negotiations, Leavitt Appears to Confirm
Leavitt appeared to confirm that China was involved in negotiations that led to a pause in the war with Iran.
“There were conversations that took place between top levels of our government and China’s government,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt noted Trump’s relationship with China, saying “The president has great respect for President Xi and a great working relationship with him and with that country.”
China is heavily invested in Gulf State energy.
Iran Says Cease-Fire Hinges on Israel Halting Attacks on Lebanon
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the two-week cease-fire depends on whether the United States can stop Israel from striking terrorist targets in Lebanon.
“The Iran-U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose — ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both,” Araghchi said.
Leavitt contradicted this announcement by Araghchi in her Wednesday briefing.
“Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire that has been related to all parties involved in the ceasefire,” Leavitt said.
As part of the announcement of the ceasefire on Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Iran and the United States “agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including in Lebanon and elsewhere.”
“The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments,” Araghchi said.
Netanyahu Touts ‘Tremendous Results’ of Iran War
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday afternoon that his nation had achieved “tremendous results” in the war against the Iranian regime, including halting its nuclear program. But he also warned that the recent ceasefire could be fragile.
“We are ready to return to fighting at any time. Our finger is on the trigger,” he said in his first address since the announcement of the ceasefire. Netanyahu has also said the recent agreement does not include its war against Hezbollah.
Israel’s military is also lifting many restrictions on civilians, including fully reopening its main airport and restarting regular school sessions. Some restrictions will remain in place in areas under threat from Hezbollah.
Savannah Hulsey Pointer, Sam Dorman, Jacob Burg, Troy Myers and Stacy Robinson contributed to this report.
