Iran wants to make peace with the US this week – if Trump’s ego doesn’t get in the way

April 22, 2026 — 3:00am

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As the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States draws to a close, both countries have made conflicting and contradictory statements about peace negotiations. US President Donald Trump told journalists that Vice President JD Vance wouldn’t be travelling to Pakistan even as Energy Secretary Chris Wright and ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz were confirming Vance’s participation. Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said he had no intention of going to Pakistan to conduct negotiations “under the shadow of threats,” claiming Iran had “new cards” to play on the battlefield.

Statements such as these, along with naval blockades and vessel seizures in the Strait of Hormuz, are best understood as manoeuvres by both sides within the negotiations to demonstrate their resolve, not as acts intended to derail the negotiations. Iran’s negotiators need less than three hours to fly to Pakistan, meaning they could leave as soon as the US team set off on its 13-hour flight.

Both sides want a deal, each for their own reasons. For Iran, the bottom line is long-term sanctions relief so that it can resume its lucrative energy exports. It needs the money........

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