Vice President JD Vance remained at the White House Tuesday afternoon rather than boarding a flight to Islamabad for the anticipated second round of U.S.-Iran peace talks, after Iran failed to respond to American negotiating positions and did not confirm its delegation would attend.
CNN reported Vance arrived at the White House early Tuesday afternoon as questions lingered over whether he would proceed with his planned travel. He was later seen by CNN cameras departing the White House at approximately 6 p.m. ET, having spent roughly five hours inside the West Wing.
A White House official said Vance would not travel to Pakistan Tuesday and that “any further updates on in-person meetings will be announced by the White House.” A U.S. official with knowledge of the situation told The New York Times that the talks had not been cancelled, and the trip could happen “at a moment’s notice.”
Pakistan, which has been mediating between Washington and Tehran, confirmed it was still waiting on Iran. “Formal response from Iranian side about confirmation of delegation to attend Islamabad Peace Talks is still awaited,” Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on social media. He said Pakistan as “mediator is in constant touch with Iranians and pursuing the path of diplomacy and dialogue.”
The earlier round of negotiations, a 21-hour marathon session in Islamabad on April 11, ended without agreement. Vice President Vance blamed Iran for refusing to commit to forgoing a nuclear weapon. “We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said at the time. For Tehran, key demands for extending the ceasefire include ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and guarantees that Israel-Hezbollah fighting will not resume.