“I’m looking forward to starting the technical talks with the Iranians, the Pakistanis, and the Qataris,” Vance told reporters before departing Joint Base Andrews. “There’s a lot to discuss, but we’re going to go through it all.”
The immediate test is the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries roughly a fifth of global oil supplies. Iran said on Saturday that it would close the strait in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon, which Tehran says violated commitments tied to the ceasefire.
U.S. officials disputed that account. Central Command said commercial vessels continued transiting the waterway, and Vance said before leaving Washington that he had seen no evidence Iran had actually halted maritime traffic.
Vance said a successful trip would mean “getting things set up in the right way” with political leadership overseeing the process while technical teams remain on the ground. He said he expected to stay only “a day or two.”
“I think we’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue,” Vance said. “Those are the two big things that I think we’re going to be focused on.”
The Iranian delegation includes chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and senior oil, security and central bank officials. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, army chief Asim Munir and Qatari mediators are also expected to participate.