Vice President JD Vance is headed to Pakistan to lead the U.S. team in negotiations with Iran, a high-stakes assignment amid a fragile ceasefire.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will also reportedly be traveling with Vance, who is “widely seen as Trump’s heir apparent and the most likely GOP presidential nominee in 2028,” according to The Hill.
.@VP departs for Islamabad, Pakistan: “As @POTUS said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.” pic.twitter.com/9nNDGsMmId
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 10, 2026
“This is probably the toughest thing he’ll do as vice president,” a former administration official told The Hill.
“It’s not going to be easy,” the former official said. “These are the toughest negotiators in the world.”
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, the vice president was asked if the Iranian representatives specifically requested that he lead the Trump administration’s negotiating team.
“I don’t know that. I would be surprised if that was true,” Vance said. “I wanted to be involved because I thought I could make a difference.”
🚨 BREAKING: Vice President JD Vance has just BOARDED Air Force Two, en route to Pakistan for high stakes IRAN negotiations with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner
Go CRUSH IT, JD, represent America proudly 🔥
Have a safe flight, Mr. VP! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/tpMItSJQrO
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 10, 2026
“His initial opposition to the war is appealing to Pakistani officials, who asked Mr. Witkoff for Mr. Vance to get involved, according to two people familiar with those discussions. The president then asked the vice president to lead the peace effort,” according to The New York Times.
“His involvement highlights the complex nature of the modern vice presidency: Unlike other cabinet members, Mr. Vance does not have a constitutionally defined role or an agency to run,” the paper noted, adding that Vance “is the only person in the administration who can immediately be empowered to step into a high-profile diplomatic mission and speak as a direct emissary of the president.”
Amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, media outlets like the Associated Press are focused on how Vance has “long been skeptical of foreign military interventions and outspoken about the prospect of sending troops into open-ended conflicts.”
“We’re looking forward to the negotiation. I think it’s gonna be positive. We’ll, of course, see,” Vance said before boarding Air Force Two on Friday, noting that Trump “gave us some pretty clear guidelines” on conducting the talks.
“If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand,” he said, adding, “If they’re gonna try and play us, then they’re gonna find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
- Libs in Boise, Idaho come up with creative solution to get around state law banning Pride flags - April 10, 2026
- Pentagon scrubs ‘cheeky’ image of sailor wearing ‘Save the Big Booty Venezuelans’ patch - April 10, 2026
- Vance leads ‘high stakes’ US peace talks, will meet directly with Iranians in Islamabad - April 10, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.