Is he or isn’t he? Trump officials flip-flop on whether Vance is leading Iran talks - or staying home

Top administration officials, including President Donald Trump himself, appeared unclear as to whether Vice President JD Vance would lead peace talks with Iranian officials in Pakistan this week, less than 24 hours before the U.S. negotiating team are supposedly due in Islamabad.Vance’s participation in the upcoming talks has been in question for days after the last round, helmed by the vice president, failed to reach an agreement to end the war. Tuesday is the two-week deadline for the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.Trump is closely watching Vance’s performance in the negotiations with Iran as he ponders his eventual successor for 2028. CNN reported last week, citing multiple sources familiar with the conversations, that the president was soliciting opinions of Vance’s strengths. On Sunday morning, the president took calls from reporters at a plethora of outlets, telling ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, then MS NOW’s Jacqueline Alemany that Vance would not be attending the Islamabad talks, claiming that “security issues” prohibited Vance’s participation in the second round of talks.“It’s only because of security,” Trump told Karl. “JD’s great.”Unnamed White House officials then contradicted the president and told multiple networks, including ABC and MS NOW, that Vance would indeed be traveling to Islamabad.Vice President JD Vance led the last round of peace talks with Iran but failed to reach an agreement on the country ending its nuclear program or the opening the Strait of Hormuz (Getty Images)On Sunday news shows, there was further confusion. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN that Vance would lead the U.S. delegation to Pakistan. U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz, meanwhile, could not say whether Vance was leading the latest U.S. delegation, during his own interview on NBC’s Meet the Press. “My understanding from an announcement the president just made is that the team is going over. I'll leave the delegation announcement to the White House,” he said.Trump told two reporters who called him early Sunday morning that JD Vance would not be a part of Monday’s peace talks in Islamabad (AFP/Getty)Both networks then reported Vance would be traveling to Islamabad, citing unnamed senior U.S. officials. In a call with Axios, Trump also mentioned the participation of both special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, but did not say if Vance would attend. Axios reported that two U.S. officials separately confirmed Vance would lead the delegation.The Independent has asked the White House for confirmation of the vice president’s plans. When asked about the confusion around whether Vance was leading the U.S. delegation, a White House official told CNN: “Things changed.”The White House hasn’t offered any explanation for why security risks that supposedly prohibited Vance’s attendance at the talks were no longer present, or any other reason for the sudden shift. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were at Vance's side for U.S. peace talks with Iran in Pakistan last weekend (Getty)The vice president himself has been quiet about the negotiations with Iran since last Tuesday, when he appeared at an event for conservative youth organization, Turning Point USA.“I recognize that young voters do not love the policy we have in the Middle East, OK,” he told attendees. “Don’t get disengaged because you disagree with the administration on one topic. Get more involved, make your voice heard even more. That is how we ultimately take the country back.”On Sunday, Tehran reportedly rejected taking part in the second round of peace talks after Trump threatened to strike civilian infrastructure in a Truth Social post earlier in the day.“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he posted.During his call with Axios, Trump also said: "The concept of the deal is done. I think we have a very good chance to get it completed.”Iran’s official state news agency, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), reported that regime would not be taking part in the talks despite the U.S. sending a delegation to Pakistan. They cited “U.S. excessive demands and unreasonable, unrealistic requests” as preventing progress, however they did not cite a specific source.However CNN reported from Iranian sources than an delegation from the country would be there to meet the U.S. team.Polls indicate that a large share of Americans question whether the administration has a real plan to end the war, which the president and his allies keep insisting is already won. Sunday began with the news that a tanker ship was fired upon by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and a statement from the force claiming that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports was ended. The president later wrote on Truth Social that U.S. Marines had boarded an Iranian-flagged vessel that attempted to run the blockade.Days earlier, Trump had taken a short victory lap and declared the U.S.’s efforts to reopen the strait a success. Now the U.S. is staring down a deadline with Iran and the U.S. at essentially the same point the two countries were before talks began. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces has caused a massive jump in oil prices that U.S. officials warn will likely last for months.A cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz reported that it had been fired upon early Sunday by IRGC forces (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)Trump and his allies continue to insist that, to end the war, Iran must give up future ambitions of enriching nuclear material and commit to the full destruction of its nuclear weapons development. Iran has refused this demand.Vance confirmed last weekend, upon leaving negotiations with Iran’s top diplomats, that the sticking point remained.