The White House says Vice President JD Vance will lead talks with Iran in Pakistan, but questions remain about who from the Iranian side is authorized to make a deal or if they will even attend.
With just days until a ceasefire with Iran is scheduled to end, President Trump told multiple news outlets on Sunday morning that Vance would not be going. Shortly after, the White House said Vance would, in fact, lead the talks, along with the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff. “We’re talking to them, and we’re taking a tough stand,” the White House said.
“The vice president leading shows that, look, the level of engagement from the US side, that we are absolutely serious,” the White House added.
On Face the Nation, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz said the U.S. will present the same deal that led to negotiations collapsing last week. Democrat Tim Kaine said Vance’s presence adds weight to the negotiations: “Vance or Rubio or Waltz is a different matter. They are the kinds of folks who should be doing this,” Kaine said, criticizing the use of Kushner and Witkoff.
But questions remain about who, from the Iranian side, is authorized to make a deal. “Who’s in charge?” one official asked. Another warned that any agreement “will have to absolutely be verifiable and be enforceable.” The first marathon round of talks lasted 21 hours and ended without a deal, signaling there may be many more hours of negotiations ahead to establish a lasting peace. Olivia Rinaldi at the White House.