Washington: US President Donald Trump chose Vice President JD Vance to negotiate with Iran in talks that was held in Islamabad on Saturday. The talks eventually failed, risking the outcome in the Middle East in coming days. Tensions gripped the region ever since the US and Israel jointly conducted air raids in Iran on February 28.
The escalations of tensions and subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, which affected the supply of crude and gas across the world, led to a ceasefire. While Vance led the US delegation for talks, the Iranians were led by their Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Why Trump chose Vance to lead the delegation
Both Trump and Tehran looked up to Vance to end the war, albeit for different reasons. As per theatlantic.com, reporters who cover White House believed that Trump recognised that the war in the Middle East was a political defeat for him and moved on, without intending to return.
The report noted that when Trump felt that Toppling of the Iranian regime was within reach, he wanted to take credit, nit now realising his unpopularity in the US due to the war, Trump was ready to let Vance own the outcome. Recently, he even joked, saying, “If a deal doesn’t happen, I am blaming JD Vance. If it does happen, I’m taking full credit,” the website quoted him further as saying
Iran had their own reason to trust Vance
Iran considers the US Vice President as the anti-war voice in the US and less sympathetic to Israel as compared to other members of the US delegation, which held talks with the Tehran delegation on Saturday. Iran thought that Vance would be motivated to resolve the crisis due to his Presidential ambitions, and if he is able to enter White House in the next US Presidential elections, the former would be bound by whatever he signed in Islamabad, the report added.