US encourages Pakistan and India to defuse tensions: JD Vance

WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance said America is encouraging both Pakistan and India to de-escalate tensions and act with calm and caution.

“We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can’t control these countries, though,” US Vice Presidnet JD Vance said in an interview on Fox News show “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”

“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we’re not going to get involved in the middle of war that’s fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it,” JD Vance added.

“Our hope and our expectation is that this is not going to spiral into a broader regional war or, God forbid, a nuclear conflict,” JD Vance said on Thursday.

Washington has held regular talks with both in recent days, including on Thursday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio held calls with Pakistan’s prime minister and India’s foreign minister while urging them to de-escalate and have direct dialogue.

US President Donald Trump called rising tensions a shame. On Wednesday, he said he hoped the two countries will stop now after going “tit-for-tat.” The State Department urged both countries to work towards what Washington terms as a “responsible solution.”

Earlier Iran foreign minister also visited Pakistan and later India to defuse tensions between both the countries.

Araghchi is the first senior foreign diplomat to visit both India and Pakistan after the attack on April 22 in which 26 men were killed.

India has blamed Pakistan for backing the gunmen who carried out the attack.

Islamabad has rejected the charge, and both countries have since exchanged gunfire across their contested de facto border in Kashmir.