Following the failed first round, Vance was relegated to a standby role, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed, as President Donald Trump dispatched envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for the second round. Vance reportedly faces growing pressure from his MAGA base, which staunchly opposes foreign interventions, while Iran had previously insisted on negotiating with the vice president, viewing Trump's envoys as too close to Israel, multiple outlets reported. An anonymous European official told BBC News that Vance needs to deliver results or risk being diminished. According to BBC News, Jeff Rathke, president of the American-German Institute, said Vance's signaled foreign policy restraint is hard to reconcile with the war on Iran.
A two-week ceasefire was agreed after more than five weeks of conflict, but its terms remain fiercely contested, with sticking points including control of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, and measures to prevent further attacks. Iran conditioned its participation on a full Lebanon ceasefire and the release of blocked assets, multiple reports indicated. Despite the agreement, Israel continued bombing Lebanese territory, killing over 300, and President Aoun said 13 state security personnel were killed in Nabatieh.
did make some progress
The United States escalated military pressure, imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and expanding it to interdict suspected contraband vessels, asserting the right to board and search ships under the blockade. Trump ordered the military to "shoot and kill" Iranian small boats operating in the Strait of Hormuz, according to multiple outlets. The oil price spike that shook markets was triggered by the combined effect of the US-Israeli attack and Iran's subsequent closure of the strait, sources said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad to present Iran's proposals and will travel on to Muscat and Moscow, while Pakistan works to restart the ceasefire talks between the two adversaries. During the earlier negotiations, Vance demanded an affirmative commitment that Iran would not seek nuclear weapons or the tools to quickly achieve them, a stance he reiterated at a press conference. Vance also cautioned Iran not to "play" the US, offering an open hand for good faith but warning of consequences otherwise.
needs to step into the room and deliver something... otherwise he will be diminished
The Red Cross delivered its first emergency aid shipment to Iran, sufficient for 25,000 people, with five truckloads arriving and nine more to follow. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will co-chair a conference on a protection mission for the Strait of Hormuz, amid growing international alarm. Separately, a tanker named "Rich Starry," which is US-listed as linked to Iran and flagged to Malawi, was reported heading to China.
A senior Hezbollah official said the group would not abide by any Lebanon-Israel agreements, complicating the diplomatic landscape. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he does not want a ceasefire, instead seeking the full disarmament of Hezbollah and a potential Israel-Lebanon peace deal. The fragile environment follows a pattern of escalation: the US and Israel struck Iran's nuclear facilities in June 2025, and the US bombed Iran on February 28, 2026, after indirect talks broke down.
Vance's signaled foreign policy restraint is hard to square with the war on Iran
Any eventual deal must secure support from Trump, Iran's regime, Israel, and US European allies, BBC News analysis noted. The last high-level US-Iran meetings were between former Secretary of State John Kerry and former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Analysts said the talks failed because of deep structural trust deficits, not bad faith, arguing that trust destroyed over many years cannot be rebuilt in 21 hours. According to BBC News - World, Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group described the current diplomatic challenge as "exponentially harder" than previous efforts.
According to The Independent, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said "we have no trust in the other side," citing past US military action as a barrier. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said there was "no serious sign of US commitment," and President Masoud Pezeshkian called for stronger signals that Trump would stand by a deal. Mohammad Ali Shabani, editor of Amwajmedia, told the Daily Mail that Iran wants a deal but Trump is crude and seeks total victory, and Iran feels time is on its side. Hamidreza Azizi, an expert, told the Daily Mail that Iran must manage hardliners sensitive to any perceived surrender. According to the Daily Mail, Ghalibaf accused Trump of violating the ceasefire with the siege and said Iran has prepared "new cards on the battlefield."
we have no trust in the other side
Trump mixed threats with expressions of desire for a deal, jocularly saying at a press conference, "I'll blame JD Vance if the Iran deal fails and take credit if it succeeds." Vance himself said the negotiations "did make some progress." Trump claimed that "we've been called by the other side" and "they want to work a deal," but he also threatened to use rearming forces and posted on social media that Iran "have no cards" and "are only alive to negotiate." Trump, according to BBC News - World, described the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as the "worst deal in history."
Trump acknowledged that he and Vance were "philosophically, a little bit different" in their initial viewpoints on the war, saying Vance was "maybe less enthusiastic" but "quite enthusiastic" about going to war. Trump insisted that military action in Iran was something the US had to do and claimed that if the US had not launched strikes, Iran would have struck first. He denied any disagreements, stating they "get along very well on this."
Vance demanded an affirmative commitment that Iran won't seek nuclear weapons or the tools to quickly achieve them
Vance, a former Marine who served in Iraq, had expressed skepticism about earlier Iran strikes, according to a New York Times report. At a Michigan rally in 2024, Vance declared: "We gotta stop sending our young people to faraway lands. We are not the policemen of the world." During a Pennsylvania campaign event that September, he argued that voting for Trump was the best way to prevent a world war or a military draft.
Vance had previously defended the military action in Iran during a March interview. According to time.com, he said that "the President has been extremely clear on our objectives—that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon." He also, according to time.com, emphasized that the US has much greater capacity to inflict damage on the Iranian nuclear program and various missiles. He rejected comparisons to the Iraq war, saying, according to time.com, that the US had "no clear mission, no clear definition" then, but now "the President has clearly defined what he wants to accomplish."
no serious sign of US commitment
When a reporter asked whether he was fully on board with Trump's Iran strategy given his past views, Vance bristled, saying: "I know what you're trying to do… You're trying to drive a wedge between members of the administration, between me and the president." He stressed that Trump has said for more than a decade that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and Vance said, "I agree with him." Vance urged prayers for success and the safety of troops, saying, "That's the approach I've taken and make it as successful as possible." Trump responded by saying "JD's been great."
At home, the FTSE 100 closed little changed ahead of the peace talks, with analyst David Morrison noting investor caution. Brent crude oil traded at $96.14 per barrel, down from $97.36 after a spike that multiple outlets linked to the US-Israeli attack and the Strait of Hormuz closure. Dr. Mehmet Oz, working with Vance as "Fraud Czar," suspended over 221 providers in Los Angeles and withheld $259.5 million from Minnesota. Democratic critics sharpened their attacks on Vance for 2028: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called his book "poverty tourism," Representative Ro Khanna cast him as extreme, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro labeled him a phony, and California Governor Gavin Newsom mocked his appearance. Vance was absent from the Monday press briefing, instead attending the dignified transfer of Sgt. Benjamin Pennington.
new cards on the battlefield
Many questions remain unanswered, including the exact terms of the contested ceasefire and whether both sides have violated it. The real reason for Vance's sidelining—whether a failure to secure a deal, a strategic choice, or political liability—is unclear. The international community's response, especially from Europe and China, to the US blockade and the Strait of Hormuz crisis is still unfolding, and the extent to which domestic political attacks will influence Vance's standing remains to be seen.
not to 'play' the US
exponentially harder
the President has been extremely clear on our objectives—that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon
The President of the United States knows what we're able to do. He knows that we have much greater capacity to inflict damage on the Iranian nuclear program and various missiles that threaten our troops
no clear mission, no clear definition
the President has clearly defined what he wants to accomplish
We gotta stop sending our young people to faraway lands. We are not the policemen of the world
voting for Trump is the best way to prevent a world war or military draft
I know what you're trying to do... You're trying to drive a wedge between members of the administration, between me and the president
I agree with him
That's the approach I've taken and make it as successful as possible