In an interview with Fox News, he says that both helped mediate between two countries that have not had talks for a long time
Prime Minister Shehbaz (L), US Vice President JD Vance (Centre), CDF Munir (R). PHOTO: EXPRESS
US Vice President JD Vance praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Defense Chief and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for their role in facilitating US-Iran talks.
In an interview with Fox Newshe described both leaders as exceptional hosts and praised their statesmanship in helping to mediate discussions between the two countries.
He said: “I have to give a lot of credit to Field Marshal Asim Munir and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Both were exceptional hosts and showed real statesmanship in helping to broker talks between us and the Iranians, two countries that have not had serious talks for a very long time”.
Earlier Sunday, Vance said intensive 21-hour discussions with Iran failed to reach an agreement. He also appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for an agreement. The American and Iranian delegations have left Islamabad to return home.
“The bad news is that we haven’t reached an agreement, and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States,” Vance, the head of the US delegation, told reporters shortly before leaving Islamabad.
Read more: Vance leaves Islamabad after 21-hour talks end without deal, praises Pakistan’s mediation efforts
He praised Prime Minister Shehbaz and CDF Munir, saying: “Both incredible hosts and whatever the shortcomings of the negotiations, it was not because of the Pakistanis who did a fantastic job and really tried to help us and the Iranians bridge the gap and reach an agreement.”
Vance said Iran had chosen not to accept US terms, including not building nuclear weapons.
“We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly obtain a nuclear weapon. That is the core goal of the President of the United States and that is what we have tried to achieve through these negotiations.”
Vance said he had spoken with President Trump as many as a dozen times during the negotiations. But even as talks continued, Trump said Saturday that a deal was not entirely necessary. “We are negotiating. Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me, because we have won,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that “people” from Iran had contacted the US, indicating that Tehran wanted a deal, as the US Navy began a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to prevent ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
Speaking outside the Oval Office, Trump did not specify who had called whom, what the US response was or what other issues were discussed during the call. The president also gave no details about the content of the conversation.
Read also: The US president demands new contact with Iran to get an agreement
“I can tell you we’ve been called by the other side,” Trump said, referring to Iran. “We got a call this morning from the right people, the right people, and they want to make a deal.”
The US and Iran had held talks in Islamabad that ended in the early hours of Sunday without an agreement, raising questions about what happens when the current two-week ceasefire expires on April 22. When the negotiations ended, both sides blamed each other for the failure.
Just hours later, Trump announced a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a move that immediately drew a sharp warning from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which pledged a “strong response” to any hostile action.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday, Trump had said the US Navy would “begin the process of blocking all ships attempting to enter or exit the Strait of Hormuz.”
The blockade came into force at 14:00 GMT Monday. Trump warned that if any Iranian “fast attack” boats approached the blockade, they would be eliminated. He also said the United States would not allow Tehran to “blackmail the world,” referring to Iran’s reported toll collection measures.
“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere near our BLOCKADE, they will be ELIMINATED immediately, using the same kill system we use against the drug dealers on boats at sea. It’s fast and brutal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
