Pakistani security officials stand guard on a road leading to the Red Zone, where most diplomatic missions and government offices are located, including the venue for the expected second round of U.S.-Iran peace talks, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday. As the ceasefire deadline nears, U.S. negotiators are returning to Islamabad for a second round of talks, despite an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stating that Tehran has no plans to participate. EPA-Yonhap
WASHINGTON/CAIRO/ISLAMABAD — Host nation Pakistan said on Tuesday there was still no confirmation that Iran would attend last-ditch peace talks with the United States, after U.S. forces boarded a huge Iranian oil tanker at sea with just a day left to the ceasefire.
President Donald Trump said he hoped to reach a "great deal" to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, but he did not want to extend the ceasefire, and the U.S. military was "raring to go" if negotiations were not successful.
Vice President JD Vance, due to lead the U.S. delegation, had yet to board a flight for Islamabad, where the centre of the city has been locked down and a luxury hotel has been cleared out to host the talks.
A White House official said Vance would be participating on Tuesday in additional policy meetings at the White House.
"Formal response from Iranian side about confirmation of delegation to attend Islamabad Peace Talks is still awaited," Pakistan's information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said in a post on X. "Pakistan as the mediator is in constant touch with Iranians and pursuing the path of diplomacy and dialogue."
Trump says military is 'raring to go'
Asked about the possibility of extending the truce, Trump told CNBC: "I don't want to do that. We don't have that much time."
"I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with," he added. "But we're ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go."
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said: "We do not want to be attacked again, but if such attacks occur, we will definitely respond more firmly than before," according to the state news agency IRNA.
Source: Korea Times News
