Trumps Red Line Against Iran Nuclear Enrichment Remains in Effect

US Vice President JD Vance to Lead US Team in Negotiations with Iran in Pakistan

The White House has announced that Vice President JD Vance will lead the US team in negotiations with Iran, which are set to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday. According to Trump’s spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, the 10-point proposal put forward by Iran as the basis for a ceasefire is different from the plan published by the government in Tehran.

The US continues to reject uranium enrichment inside Iran, with President Donald Trump stating that his “red lines” have not changed. Domestic uranium enrichment has been a major point of contention in previous talks between Washington and Tehran. The Trump administration had pushed for dismantling the Iranian nuclear programme altogether.

A two-week ceasefire was announced by Washington and Tehran earlier, with the US stopping its attacks and Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Leavitt stated that Iran’s initial proposal was “thrown in the garbage” by Trump’s team, but Tehran later put forward a revised plan. Trump had said that the Iranian proposal was a “workable basis on which to negotiate”.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has cast doubt over the fate of the talks, stating that the US and Israel have violated the ceasefire by continuing the war in Lebanon and denying Iran’s right to uranium enrichment. The White House has claimed victory against Iran, with Leavitt echoing the Pentagon’s statement.

The negotiations will be led by Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Source: Al Jazeera