Next round of U.S.-Iran talks in doubt as tensions rise ahead of ceasefire deadline

[0:00] Welcome to the NewsHour. An American delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance will soon [0:05] leave for Pakistan to resume talks with Iran over the nearly two-month war. [0:10] Iranian officials have been noncommittal about attending the next round of talks. President [0:14] Trump also sent mixed signals predicting success even as he warned the war could drag on. [0:21] It follows a tense weekend around the Strait of Hormuz. Our White House correspondent Liz [0:26] Landers begins our coverage. Yesterday in contested waters, a show of U.S. force. Marines seized and [0:42] disabled an Iranian cargo ship. U.S. officials alleged the vessel tried to evade its naval cordon. [0:49] This is the first such interception of the U.S.'s over a week-long blockade of Iranian ports. [0:54] Yet today, signs have renewed peace talks after a weekend of mixed signals. [0:59] A source tells PBS NewsHour, a U.S. delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance plans to travel [1:05] to Pakistan soon. Iran has issued conflicting messages about its plans to attend. [1:11] The regime's foreign ministry said the U.S. lacks, quote, seriousness. [1:15] We witnessed that the United States insisted on bad faith and violation of the ceasefire. [1:21] We are still in a state of war. A ceasefire has been announced, but unfortunately, [1:26] it has been met from the very beginning with repeated violations. And the announcement that [1:31] Iran's ports and vessels would be targeted by the United States has complicated the situation. [1:37] Israel, the U.S.'s ally in the war, won't be participating in the talks. But Israeli Prime [1:42] Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted Israel's war fighting during a Memorial Day celebration today. [1:48] Our pilots control the skies of the region as irrefutable proof of our superiority over [1:53] the Iranian axis. We have not yet finished the task, but the world already recognizes [1:58] our determination to defend ourselves. Not only to defend ourselves, but to defend humanity from [2:03] barbaric fanaticism. Small Israel and our great friend, the United States, [2:08] carry the entire Western civilization on their shoulders. [2:12] If you attempt to run the blockade, we will compel compliance with force. Over. [2:15] The U.S. military released another video today showing their enforcement operations on Iranian [2:21] ports. The blockade stretches from the eastern tip of Oman to Iran's border with Pakistan. [2:28] Meantime, rough sailing on global energy markets. Today's opening trades were a sharp turnaround from [2:34] Friday when oil prices tumbled. Now climbing oil prices and slipping U.S. stock prices roiled global [2:41] markets. China, a major importer of Iranian oil, urged U.S. restraint. [2:46] China expresses concern over the United States' forced interception of relevant vessels [2:52] and hopes that the parties concerned will act in a responsible manner and create the necessary [2:59] conditions for the restoration of normal passage through the strait. [3:03] While the U.S. has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, Iran lifted and then reimposed its own [3:10] blockade of the strait of Hormuz. This comes as two Indian ships were forced to reverse course in the [3:16] strait over the weekend following reports of Iranian gunfire. [3:19] Indian officials said today they have been in touch with Iranian counterparts. And since Saturday's incident, [3:38] another ship has safely crossed the strait. Key Gulf Arab energy producers lost at least 40 percent of their crude [3:44] oil output in March, according to OPEC, roughly equivalent to the combined output of U.S. oil giants [3:50] Exxon Mobil and Chevron. Yet U.S. officials say pressure, including financial sanctions and maritime [3:57] enforcement, is intended to bring Iran back to the negotiating table. Energy Secretary Chris Wright [4:03] appeared on CNN yesterday. When will it be? I think after a deal is reached. After a deal is reached. [4:10] It won't be in the too distant future. People are ready to go. Ships are there. The United States put [4:15] through two warships through the straits. We can open it one way or the other. But the best way to do it [4:21] is to have an end to the conflict and a defanged and de-armed Iran. We're also going after their [4:29] financial tentacles, which are spread all throughout the region and around the world. [4:33] While ships at both ends of one of the world's most volatile maritime corridors wait for clearance, [4:39] risking interception from U.S. or Iranian forces, the deadline of the temporary two-week ceasefire [4:45] draws close. And even with the vice president heading to Islamabad, that ceasefire appears [4:50] likely to expire overnight tomorrow, Amna. [4:53] AMNA NAWAZIER, You spoke to President Trump directly this morning about the war in Iran [4:57] and much more. Tell us about that. [4:59] I called him around 8 a.m. We just had a few minutes to speak on the phone. But I asked [5:03] him first about this ceasefire, which is expected to expire tomorrow evening. And I said, what [5:10] happens if there is no deal that is reached by then? And he said, then lots of bombs start [5:15] going off. Of course, the United States has not bombed Israel in the last few weeks since [5:20] this ceasefire has held. [5:22] AMNA NAWAZIER, I'm sorry, yes, has not bombed Iran. Sorry about that. I also asked him about [5:28] Iran participating in these peace talks in Islamabad and whether they would show up and be there. [5:34] We have questions about that still. The president told me he didn't know if the Iranians were [5:38] going to show up, but he did say that the United States agreed to be there. And he said, [5:42] that's fine, too, if they don't show up. I asked about the key objective for these talks [5:47] in Islamabad. And he said, no nuclear weapons. It's very simple. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. [5:53] You also asked him this very important question about potential conflicts of interest [5:57] about his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his diplomatic role, because he also has business [6:02] interests in the Middle East. What did he say about that? [6:04] Jared Kushner started a venture capital firm in 2021 after the end of the first Trump presidency. [6:09] It's called Affinity Partners. And he has raised money from the Saudis, from their public investment [6:15] fund, and from other countries in the Middle East region. I asked the president if it was [6:19] appropriate for Kushner to be negotiating about matters of war and peace in the Middle East [6:24] while he has this investment fund that has raised money there. He told me, the first quote that he [6:31] said to me is, well, he was there before, a long time before, and he's purely negotiating for the fact [6:35] that they're not going to have a nuclear weapon. Whether you have business or not, everyone knows [6:39] that's the right thing. He's a very good negotiator. So then I started to ask a follow-up [6:43] question, and the president kept going, and he said, I sent my A-team. I sent my A-team. He's done [6:47] an excellent job. He doesn't participate with Saudi now, as you know. He's taken. He doesn't do that. [6:53] He has a business, but he doesn't participate now. Kushner is not actively raising money from the [7:00] Saudis right now. And we got a statement from his lawyer from Affinity Partners. The chief legal [7:07] officer, Ian Brecke, told us that Affinity had early conversations with its anchor investor and does [7:11] not intend to take any additional capital while Jared is volunteering for the government. An SEC-registered [7:19] investment firm, Affinity has abided by all laws and regulations and will continue to do so. As a [7:25] volunteer right now, he is not subject to financial disclosure forms. Meanwhile, we saw the Energy [7:30] Secretary Chris Wright on CNN earlier, and he mentioned he doesn't foresee gas prices coming [7:35] down to under $3 a gallon until next year. You asked the president about that. What did he say? [7:40] This was the last question we got to. I asked if this was a concern for the upcoming midterm [7:44] elections in November. The president told me, I disagree with him totally, meaning Secretary [7:49] Wright. I think it's going to come roaring down if it ends. If we end it, meaning the war, if Iran does [7:55] what they should do, it will come roaring down. The president has said this a number of times, [8:00] though, I would say, Amna, he keeps saying that gas prices are going to fall. So far, [8:05] we have not really seen that. Americans are still feeling the pain of the pump. [8:08] Terrific reporting, as always. Our White House correspondent, Liz Landers. Thank you. [8:11] Support journalism you trust. Support PBS News. Donate now, or even better, start a monthly contribution today.