US "Junior Varsity" Team Critiqued as Iran Talks Stall in Pakistan

While Vance characterised the lack of an agreement as "bad news for Iran," US expert Christine Fair raised alarms over the composition of the American delegation and the shifting leverage in the Middle East.

Speaking to ANI, Christine Fair, a prominent professor at Georgetown University, offered a blistering critique of the US team, labelling them the "junior varsity" compared to the seasoned diplomatic corps brought by Tehran.

Fair noted that the absence of heavyweights like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Paul Kapur, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, sent a negative signal to the Iranians.

"I think the absences are really telling. The American team is quite weak compared to the Iranian team. Americans often think that because Iran is estranged from the United States, they are estranged from the rest of the world. Iran brought a very seasoned, knowledgeable set of negotiators to the party, while the Americans brought in the 'junior varsity.' What do Kushner or Witkoff really bring to the party?" she said.

The US team comprised Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner, while the Iranian team included Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, and senior security official Ali Bagheri Kani.

While the US maintains overwhelming military superiority, Fair argued that Washington fundamentally underestimated Iran's economic hand. Fair acknowledged US ordnance capabilities but noted that "economically, the Iranians have a lot more leverage."

"I think militarily, the United States has a lot more leverage. It has a lot more ordnance than it can bring to the party. However, economically, the Iranians have a lot more leverage than the Americans even remotely considered when they launched on this misadventure. Both countries have leverage, but on the net, the Iranians have a lot more than the Americans anticipated they would," she said.

Adding a layer of complexity to the talks, Pakistan recently deployed a fleet of aircraft to Saudi Arabia as part of their mutual defence pact. Fair noted that this move, occurring simultaneously with the peace talks, likely weighed heavily on Iranian perspectives, as Islamabad balances its role as a mediator with its military obligations to Tehran's regional rival.

"Even as the talks were going on, Pakistan sent a fleet of aircraft to Saudi Arabia as a part of their mutual defence pact. You would have to ask an Iranian official how this mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia, and the fact that Pakistan is acting in defence of that agreement, is affecting Iranian perspectives," she said.

Despite the stalemate, Fair agreed that Pakistan has emerged as a major winner. Fair described Pakistan's recent foreign policy as the "politics of chaploosi" (bootlicking), noting how Islamabad has successfully "inveigled" itself back into Washington's good graces through a series of calculated moves: Handing over the alleged mastermind of the Abbey Gate attack and investing in the Trump family's cryptocurrency ventures.

"I actually think Pakistan over the last year has done an incredible job of inveigling itself into Washington's good graces, and I think this is the apotheosis of that. It began when Pakistan handed over the person that Washington and Pakistan claimed was the mastermind of the Abbey Gate attack. My sources tell me he was nothing of the sort. This was followed up with Pakistan buying into Trump's son's crypto scam. We know what happened during Operation Sindoor when Pakistan really snatched a diplomatic victory from the jaws of defeat. I call this the politics of 'chaploosi,' which Pakistan masterminds," she said.

"Whether an agreement happens or not, this is still a win for Pakistan. Obviously, if some kind of durable peace comes out of this, it is a huge victory for Islamabad. But even if it doesn't, the fact that Pakistan is facilitating negotiations between the United States and Iran at a level which hasn't happened since 1979 is still a massive victory for them," she said further.

Israel was identified as the primary impediment to a breakthrough. With Iran demanding a ceasefire in Lebanon as a precondition, Israel's vow to continue its military strikes has created an intractable barrier.

"That is my fear. I think Israel is the biggest source of insecurity in the Middle East and by far the biggest impediment to peace, not Iran. Israel has made it very clear that it is going to continue prosecuting its war in Lebanon, which is one of the issues the Iranians have flagged as a precondition for peace. I see Israel as a big spoiler here. It is in Israel's interest if the United States continues to fight a war that principally benefits Israel. Iran was not an imminent threat to the United States, and it is debatable whether it was one to Israel, but Israel is the big winner here, not the United States," she said.

The departure of VP JD Vance marks a cooling period in what was hoped to be a historic breakthrough. As the US team returns home, the threat of renewed regional escalation looms.

- ANI