US-Iranian talks on ending the conflict that has closed the Strait of Hormuz seem unlikely to make major progress soon, a Republican Party lawmaker said.
“I don’t see any big breakthrough in the near term,” Texas Representative Michael McCaul, a former chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security panels, said on April 25 on Bloomberg This Weekend. “I think to lower the expectations is smart.”
Prospects for direct talks to end the eight-week war remain slim, even as Iran’s Foreign Minister meets Pakistani officials who have been acting as mediators. US President Donald Trump is expected to send his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff for talks over the weekend.
It’s “very hard to trust Iran” even when it signs agreements and “I’m not very sanguine under this regime in Iran that you’re going to have anything in the short term”, Mr McCaul added.
Asked whether Mr Trump’s administration has adequately briefed lawmakers on the war, he said transparency “could be better.”
“They’ve been very close to the vest on this,” said Mr McCaul, who was first elected to Congress in 2005 and is not running for re-election in 2026. “And I understand that, but it’s also important to reach out to Congress.” BLOOMBERG