“President Trump has an extraordinary national security team, including Vice President Vance, Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio, Special Envoy Witkoff, and Mr. Kushner, who are working together to see if a peace deal is possible,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said. “The Vice President has always been a trusted voice on all foreign policy topics, and the President appreciates his work to see whether the Iranians can meet the reality of this current moment. In the meantime, the United States Military will continue to annihilate all of its military targets, and Iran will be sent back to the stone ages tomorrow night if they fail to engage in a serious way.”
Vance’s possible role comes at a delicate moment in negotiations between the two countries. Trump is threatening to bomb Iran back to the “stone ages” if its leaders don’t acquiesce to his demands by Tuesday night. And while the prospect of Vance’s involvement demonstrates that the White House is serious about finding an off ramp, it comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promises unprecedented strikes on the country in the coming days.
Even Trump said he couldn’t know if the war with Iran was ending or escalating.
Vance has, for the most part, stayed behind the scenes. While officials like Hegseth have regularly briefed the media on the military campaign, Vance has, at times, been in contact with intermediaries. On Sunday night, he was in touch with Pakistan’s Gen. Asim Munir, as Islamabad prepared to circulate a potential 45-day ceasefire proposal, according to a second person familiar with the communications who was granted anonymity to discuss private talks. The communication was first reported by Reuters.
Pakistan has positioned itself as an intermediary, joining a widening group of countries involved in trying to broker a ceasefire.
Trump acknowledged Vance’s involvement in the negotiations, reiterating to reporters Monday the deadline that he has given Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.