The US Vice President says that his wife and Field Marshal Asim Mounir are the “most important” people in his life
US Vice President J.D. Vance said that the two most important people in his life are an Indian and a Pakistani, and mentioned the names of his wife and second lady, Usha Vance, and Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir during statements related to the US-Iranian diplomatic talks in Switzerland.Vance said: “I joked that I have two very important people in my life. An Indian and a Pakistani. The Indian is my wife, and the Pakistani is Field Marshal Munir.”Vance also said that he “probably spoke to Munir more than anyone he spoke to in the last three months.”His statements came at a time when American and Iranian officials held the first round of negotiations at a resort in Switzerland, with mediators including delegations from Pakistan and Qatar.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also present when Vance made the remarks.
The talks were described as the “Lake Lucerne Summit.” It focused on efforts to stabilize relations and build on an interim agreement.Vance said that the goal of the discussions is to open a new chapter in relations with Iran. “The question for us now is how much can we accomplish together? Can we turn over a new leaf?” He said.The Vice President added: “Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently, or do we go back to doing things the old way, which is not what we prefer, but it is certainly something that can happen.”
He also described the negotiations as a rare moment in diplomacy. “We look forward to changing the instability in the Middle East through diplomacy and promoting peace, as well as the free flow of oil,” he said.Vance noted that the United States and Iran had not held such high-level talks before, and said that the goal was to build a new framework for the relationship and improve regional stability.The discussions in Switzerland were aimed at formalizing an interim agreement that had already been signed electronically earlier in the week.
The agreement aims to ease tensions, ease sanctions, and pave the way for long-term negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.The draft framework includes pledges from Iran not to seek to obtain nuclear weapons, in addition to proposals to deal with enriched uranium under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It also outlines potential sanctions relief, reconstruction funding, and steps to restore maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.The process faced delays and confusion. The official signing ceremony scheduled in Switzerland was postponed after the agreement entered into force electronically, prompting Pakistani officials to cancel travel arrangements. The Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister later confirmed that the ceremony would no longer be held.Earlier, Vance also criticized Pakistan during discussions on the release of the draft agreement, saying that expectations on transparency varied from country to country.“First of all, we really want to get this out there because it’s hard to have the conversation without the full text,” he said.He added: “And I think part of the imbalance here is that in the Pakistani and Qatari systems, they don’t have the First Amendment and freedom of the press. And so there’s no expectation that the text will be available for the American people to question and look at and analyze and understand for themselves.”The diplomatic efforts come amid continuing instability in the region, including ongoing tensions between Israel, Hezbollah and Lebanon, which have complicated attempts to move toward a permanent agreement.
