In an interview with Fox News, he says that both helped mediate between two countries that have not held talks for a long time.
PM Shehbaz (L), US Vice President JD Vance (Center), CDF Munir (R). PHOTO: EXPRESS
US Vice President JD Vance praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for their role in facilitating talks between the US and Iran.
In an interview with fox newsHe described both leaders as exceptional hosts and praised their statesmanship in helping mediate discussions between the two countries.
He said: “I have to give a lot of credit to Field Marshal Asim Munir and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. They were both exceptional hosts and showed real statesmanship in helping mediate the conversation between us and the Iranians, two countries that have not had serious talks in a long time.”
Earlier on Sunday, Vance said intense 21-hour discussions with Iran failed to produce a deal. He also appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to reach an agreement. The US and Iranian delegations left Islamabad to return home.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think it is much worse for Iran than for the United States of America,” 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 appreciated Prime Minister Shehbaz and CDF Munir, saying: “They were both incredible hosts, and whatever the shortcomings of the negotiation, it was not because of the Pakistanis who did an incredible job and really tried to help us and the Iranians bridge the gap and reach an agreement.”
Vance said Iran had decided not to accept American terms, including not building nuclear weapons.
“We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not pursue a nuclear weapon and they will not pursue the tools that would allow them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon. That is the central 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 to President Trump up to a dozen times during the conversations. But even as negotiations continued, Trump said Saturday that a deal was not entirely necessary. “We are negotiating. Whether we reach an agreement or not, I don’t care, because we have won,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that “people” from Iran had contacted the United States, indicating that Tehran wanted a deal, while 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 U.S. response was or what other issues were discussed during the contact. The president also did not provide details about the content of the conversation.
Also read: US President affirms new contact with Iran for agreement
“I can tell you that we have been called on the other side,” Trump said, referring to Iran. “This morning the right people called us, the right people, and they want to reach an agreement.”
The United States and Iran had held talks in Islamabad that ended in the early hours of Sunday without an agreement, raising questions about what will happen when the current two-week truce expires on April 22. When the negotiations concluded, 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 prompted a strong warning from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which promised a “strong response” to any hostile action.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said the US Navy would “begin the process of blocking any and all ships attempting to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz.”
The blockade came into effect on Monday at 2:00 p.m. GMT. Trump warned that if any Iranian “fast attack” ships approached the blockade, they would be eliminated. He also said the United States would not allow Tehran to “extort the world,” referring to Iran’s alleged toll collection measures.
“Warning: If any of these ships come close to our BLOCKADE, they will be ELIMINATED immediately, using the same system of death we use against drug dealers on ships at sea. It’s fast and brutal,” Trump wrote in Truth Social.
