Vice President Vance Delays Pakistan Trip as Iran Talks Hang in Balance
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance was scheduled to lead a U.S. negotiating team to Islamabad on Tuesday for critical talks aimed at ending the conflict involving Iran, but he was unexpectedly recalled to the White House amid lingering uncertainty over whether Iranian officials would participate.
CNN’s Alayna Treene reported that Vance will instead attend policy meetings at the White House. Sources told Treene it remains unclear whether the trip will proceed at all. “We don’t know if this trip is definitely off,” Treene told anchors Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown on The Situation Room. “All we do know is that it is definitely delayed and that we should expect to see now the vice president at the White House for meetings today, not leaving this morning on that plane as we had previously reported.”
The delayed mission comes after Vance traveled to Pakistan earlier this month alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner. Those earlier discussions in Islamabad failed to produce an agreement. Vance said at the time that Iranian representatives refused to provide an “affirmative commitment” that the country would not pursue nuclear weapons.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” Vance stated following those talks. “And I think that’s bad news for Iran, much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America.”
Meanwhile, pressure on Tehran continues to mount through maritime restrictions. Since the United States began blocking ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command reported Tuesday that American forces have instructed 28 vessels to turn around or return to port. A U.S. official declined to confirm whether any ships had entered Iranian ports but noted that any that did would be unable to exit past the blockade in the Gulf of Oman.
The two-week ceasefire between the United States, Israel, and Iran is set to expire Wednesday, adding urgency to the stalled diplomatic effort. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said as of 7:30 p.m. local time Tuesday that a “formal response from [the] Iranian side about confirmation of delegation to attend Islamabad Peace Talks is still awaited.” Tarar added that Pakistani mediators remained in “constant touch” with Iranian counterparts and described the proposed talks as “critical.”
In a sign of strained relations, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian publicly criticized both President Trump and the negotiation process in a post on X. “The level of understanding and comprehension of the requesters from Iran regarding their presence in Islamabad is even lower than Trump’s level of understanding and comprehension…!” Pezeshkian wrote.
Despite the uncertainty, diplomatic channels between the United States and Pakistan remained active. U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker, who leads the American Embassy in Islamabad, met Tuesday with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss efforts to end the conflict. According to a readout from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dar “underscored Pakistan’s consistent emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable means to address challenges and achieve lasting regional peace and stability.” He urged both Washington and Tehran to consider extending the ceasefire and to give negotiations a chance.
President Trump has signaled little interest in prolonging the temporary truce. Speaking to CNBC, Trump said he does not want to extend the two-week ceasefire, which he has indicated will end Wednesday. “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” Trump said. “Iran can get themselves on a very good footing if they make a deal. They can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again.”
The situation remains fluid. With the ceasefire deadline approaching and Iranian participation still unconfirmed, the delayed Vance mission underscores the fragile state of diplomacy as both sides weigh their next moves. Further developments are expected in the coming hours as officials in Washington, Islamabad, and Tehran continue to assess whether formal talks can still take place.
