“I have joked that I have two very, very important people in my life — one Indian and one Pakistani,” said US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday, mentioning his wife, Usha Vance, and Pakistan’s Army Chief, Asim Munir.
Speaking during the US-Iran talks in Switzerland, alongside Pakistani and Qatari Prime Ministers, Vance praised Pakistan’s role in facilitating the dialogue and mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran.
“I will say that since Field Marshal Munir welcomed us with the Pakistani Prime Minister in Islamabad, I have joked that I have two very, very important people in my life – an Indian and a Pakistani. The Indian is my wife, and the Pakistani is Field Marshal Munir,” he said.
Vance revealed that in the last three months, he has talked to Munir more than anybody else. “I have talked to Field Marshal Munir more than I have talked to anybody in the last three months.”
“I would not be here without his statesmanship. He is, of course, a great military leader, but I think he’s shown himself to be a great diplomat. And, of course, he’s an amazing leader.”
Vance Claims ‘Great Progress’ After Talks With Iran
JD Vance on Sunday said that “great progress” had been made in just the past few hours of negotiations. He claimed that key objectives — including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear programme — had already been achieved, adding that the ongoing talks had created an opportunity to how much the US and Iran can “accomplish” from this point.
“The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together? Can we turn over a new leaf?” Vance said after talks with Iran in Switzerland. “What we’re trying to accomplish here is very simple. Through diplomacy, through working together to transform the Middle East, where Iran and the Gulf have been at war with each other or at least have had very unfriendly relations. Now we see a future where everybody can work together to promote peace and prosperity for everyone.”
Calling the discussions a “historic meeting,” the US Vice President said, “We’ve already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we’ll make additional progress in the hours to come.”
Vance’s remarks came as US and Iran began their first round of talks at Burgenstock resort Switzerland, in presence of mediators including delegations from Pakistan and Qatar.