The White House announced that Vice President JD Vance will lead negotiations with Iran in Pakistan, though uncertainty remains about who on the Iranian side has the authority to strike a deal — or whether Tehran will send authorized representatives at all.
The announcement followed a brief public flip-flop: President Trump told multiple outlets Sunday morning that Vance would not be going, but the White House later confirmed that Vance will attend, joined by Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff. “We’re talking to them, and we’re taking a tough stand,” the White House said, adding that “the vice president leading shows that, look, the level of engagement from the US side, that we are absolutely serious.”
On Face the Nation, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz said the U.S. plans to present the same proposal that led to negotiations collapsing last week. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said Vance’s presence adds weight and credibility to the talks, arguing that “Vance or Rubio or Waltz is a different matter. They are the kinds of folks who should be doing this,” while criticizing the involvement of Kushner and Witkoff.
U.S. officials expressed concern about who can actually commit Iran to an agreement. “Who’s in charge?” one official asked. Another warned any deal “will have to absolutely be verifiable and be enforceable.”
The first marathon round of talks lasted 21 hours and ended without an agreement, underscoring that further long negotiations may be necessary to reach a lasting ceasefire or settlement. Olivia Rinaldi at the White House.