Media reports suggest that Iranian negotiators have declined to engage in talks with Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who had previously overseen nuclear negotiations with Iran prior to the conflict.
According to a CNN report, US Vice President JD Vance may visit Pakistan by the end of this week to hold discussions regarding the path toward a conflict in Iran—a scenario favored by Donald Trump.
This development emerged after Iranian representatives reportedly informed the Trump administration that they no longer wished to engage in talks with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, prompting Islamabad to push for Vance’s involvement.
Meanwhile, the White House has downplayed the significance of the shift that sees Trump’s vice president assuming a more active role in negotiations with Tehran.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Wednesday, “I don’t think anything has changed. The vice president has always been a key member—the president’s right-hand man and a vital member of the president’s national security team. He has been involved in these discussions throughout the administration’s tenure.”
According to Leavitt, President Trump seeks Vance’s counsel on “all matters—both foreign and domestic.”
Leavitt also declined to disclose with whom the US is currently negotiating regarding Iran. However, citing sources familiar with the matter, CNN reported that “Team Trump” is working to arrange a meeting in Pakistan this weekend—involving officials including Vance—to discuss de-escalating the conflict.
The report noted that the exact timing and location of the trip, as well as the list of potential participants, remain undetermined.
‘Pakistan Wants Vance’
News of Vance’s potential visit to Pakistan surfaced just one day after media reports claimed that, should negotiations in Islamabad move forward, the vice president is being positioned as the likely chief negotiator on behalf of the US.
Media reports claim that Iranian negotiators have refused to sit down with Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, or Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who had led nuclear negotiations with Iran prior to the war.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stated that his country is prepared to “facilitate substantive and concrete dialogue” to end the conflict in the Middle East, while also seeking to position Islamabad as a potential venue for talks between the U.S. and Iran.
According to a report by The Guardian, Pakistani officials indicated that the U.S. and Iran could meet in Islamabad as early as this week to discuss bringing an end to the conflict that began approximately one month ago.