AS Pakistan has completed its homework for hosting the second round of talks between the United States and Iran, the fate of the peace process hangs in balance due to extreme provocations and war of words between the warring sides. Claiming that his country was offering a very fair and reasonable deal, President Donald Trump announced the dispatch of his country’s team to Islamabad for the second phase of negotiations. At the same time, he accused Iran of ‘total violation’ of the ceasefire for firing on ships near the Strait of Hormuz, renewing his threat to wipe out Iran’s bridges and power plants unless it accepted his terms. On the other hand, Iran, on Sunday, rejected the second round of talks with the US and the US firing on a commercial vessel of Iran as part of the ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports cast dark shadows on the peace process.
The two-week ceasefire is due to expire within hours and the world is emphasizing the need for a peace agreement or at least an indefinite extension in the ceasefire but regrettably both the United States and Iran were engaged in brinkmanship whereas the situation demanded statesmanship of the highest order. The optimism of mediators was evident from the fact that the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi are witnessing unprecedented preparations and security measures as even the top two courts – the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Federal Constitutional Court – were closed but parties to the conflict are not exercising the kind of restraint that was a must for the peace process to progress. It is known to all that ceasefire violations began from the US/Israeli side when Lebanon aggression continued despite understanding to the contrary. This prompted Iran to condition the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to a ceasefire in Lebanon. As a ceasefire there was brokered at the instance of Pakistan and facilitated by the United States, Washington went ahead with its plans for naval blockade of Iranian ports, giving justification to Iran to continue with closure of the Strait.
The incident in the Sea of Oman followed the reports that advance teams from the US had already landed in Islamabad. Two giant US C-17 cargo planes landed at the Noor Khan Airbase on Sunday afternoon carrying security equipment and vehicles in preparation for the US delegation’s arrival. Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire. Iran had been insisting it would not send a delegation to Islamabad as long as there was a naval blockade and the US attack on an Iranian commercial ship proved Iranian apprehensions right.
There was already a wide gulf of mistrust stemming from the past experiences of Iran vis-à-vis the process of negotiations and instead of trying to restore the shattered trust of Tehran, Washington is adding fresh fears, putting questions marks about sincere implementation of any fresh understanding to be reached between the two countries. Confusion also persists about the composition of the US delegation with President Trump saying his Vice President JD Vance, who led his country’s delegation in the first round, will not travel to Islamabad for security reasons, a proposition contradicted by the White House saying Vance will lead the delegation. There is an impression that the final choice in this regard will have its repercussions and impact on the outcome of the second round of talks because of Iranian sensitivities. Anyhow, for the sake of durable peace, it should be the effort of the mediators that in case of a deal its language should be unambiguous and not subject to whimsical interpretations.
