Vice President JD Vance was expected to board a plane Tuesday and lead a U.S. negotiating team for talks in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, aimed at ending the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Instead, he was called back to the White House amid continuing uncertainty over whether Iranian officials would attend.
CNN’s Alayna Treene reported that Vance would not depart for Islamabad as previously planned. He was instead scheduled to take part in policy meetings at the White House. Sources told Treene it remained unclear whether the trip would ultimately proceed at all. Speaking on The Situation Room with anchors Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown, Treene said the trip was “definitely delayed” and that Vance would be at the White House rather than leaving that morning. “We don’t know if this trip is definitely off,” she noted. “All we do know is that it is definitely delayed.”
Vance had traveled to Pakistan earlier in the month, leading a U.S. delegation that included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Those talks, mediated by Pakistani officials, failed to produce an agreement. The vice president said Iranian negotiators refused to provide the main commitment the American side sought: an “affirmative commitment” that Iran would not pursue nuclear weapons. After the meetings concluded without a deal, Vance stated, “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. And I think that’s bad news for Iran, much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America.”
Since the earlier talks collapsed, the United States has enforced a blockade preventing ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports. U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that American forces had directed 28 ships to turn around or return to port. A U.S. official declined to confirm whether any vessels had entered Iranian ports but said any that had done so would be unable to pass the blockade in the Gulf of Oman when attempting to leave.
The two-week ceasefire involving the United States, Israel, and Iran was nearing its end, with the pause set to expire Wednesday. It remained unclear whether Iranian officials would send a delegation to Islamabad. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that, as of 7:30 p.m. Pakistani time (10:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern time), a formal response from the Iranian side confirming attendance at the Islamabad peace talks was still awaited. Tarar added that Pakistani mediators remained in “constant touch” with Iranian counterparts and described the talks as “critical.”
In a development viewed as unhelpful to negotiations, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticized President Trump and the proposed talks in a post on X. He wrote that “the level of understanding and comprehension of the requesters from Iran regarding their presence in Islamabad is even lower than Trump’s level of understanding and comprehension.”
Separately, Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker, who heads the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, met Tuesday with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss diplomatic efforts to end the war. Pakistan has played a leading mediating role for weeks. According to a readout posted by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dar “underscored Pakistan’s consistent emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable means to address challenges and achieve lasting regional peace and stability.” He stressed the need for engagement between the United States and Iran, urged both sides to consider extending the ceasefire, and called for giving dialogue and diplomacy a chance.
President Trump has indicated he does not favor extending the ceasefire and prefers a permanent resolution. Speaking to CNBC about the two-week pause he has said would end Wednesday, Trump remarked, “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time.” He added that Iran “can get themselves on a very good footing if they make a deal. They can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again.”
The combination of delayed U.S. travel plans, pending Iranian confirmation, public criticism from Tehran, and American insistence on a nuclear commitment has left the next phase of diplomacy in doubt as the ceasefire window closes. Pakistani officials continue to press for continued engagement, while the United States maintains pressure through the naval blockade and holds open the possibility of further talks if Iran responds.
