Witkoff and Kushner are very much sidelined. Vance has the authority. And this time he is supported by many technical experts which Witkoff and Kushner didn’t have.
The US is taking it far more seriously than ever before with a huge amount of technical support on site as well as back home.
From a BBC interview right now with Phil Stewart, chief national security reporter from Reuters, and Valir Nasr, former senior representative to Pakistan and now a professor of Middle East Studies at John Hopkins university.
More planes have come from Iran to join the deal bringing experts from the military. They already have the speaker of parliament, the foreign minister and many different elements of the Islamic government.
This has to be a really substantive effort by Iran - essentially they have sent everyone there that’s needed to make substantial decisions on the spot in Pakistan. Rather than back and forth for months of talks. They’ll be able to go back to Iran and present it as something that has wide support already from all those participating.
On the rumours of passage of ships or release of frozen funds - seems both sides are talking about trust building measures.
There could be serious working groups when they go home to work out the technical details - not Witkoff / Kushner.
That negotations go on this long must mean there is more flexibility than is said publicly.
And both very much want to get a deal over the line in some way. 0
The US is likely quite worried about ending the war with a toll like the Panama canal.
In return for the Strait of Hormuz, the US has to give up sanctions relief, and find a way for Iran to pay for its reconstruction - and then Iran has to give up its nuclear program.
Because neither of them want the war to start up again.
So that is the dynamic.And seems they are stuck in and must be getting somewhere, must have potential for progress to still be talking after 3 am.
And they HAVE to be showing flexibility or it couldn’t go on like this. Wouldn’t have 10 hours of the Iranians or the Americans saying no to any compromise.
