While the second round of talks between Iran and the United States hung in the balance, US President Donald Trump said that he was offering Tehran a better deal. Trump wrote on his social media account, Truth Social, that the new deal with Iran will be far better than the earlier Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) or Iran Nuclear Deal.
The JCPA was signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council, along with Germany and the European Union, in 2015 to curtail Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for lifting some sanctions. Trump denounced it during his 2016 campaign, and after his election, he said the United States would withdraw from it, which it did in 2018.
Mr Trump has said that Vice President JD Vance, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Special Representative Steve Witkoff are heading to Islamabad for the second round of negotiations, Iran has not confirmed its participation, with Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei saying at his weekly briefing yesterday that so far, they have not made any decision regarding the next round of negotiations. He cited the United States capture of an Iranian ship over the weekend as a reason for holding up Tehran’s participation, calling it an act of aggression.
Iran and the United States are in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, with the United States imposing a blockade of Iranian ports, and Iran reneging on its commitment to keep it open during the ceasefire reached nearly two weeks ago.
