US Vice President Vance warns Iran not to ‘play’ US en route to Pakistan for ceasefire talks

US Vice President JD Vance departed Washington for Islamabad on Friday, warning Iran against bad-faith negotiations ahead of high-stakes talks aimed at ending the six-week-long Middle East conflict.

"We're looking forward to the negotiation. I think it's going to be positive. As the President of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive," Vance told reporters while boarding Air Force Two.

The Vice President added that President Donald Trump had given the delegation "some pretty clear guidelines" on how the talks should proceed, though he declined to elaborate on specifics.


High-Level Delegation

Vance is leading the US delegation, joined by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and former senior White House adviser Jared Kushner. Officials from the National Security Council, the State Department, and the Pentagon will also participate in a supporting capacity. The White House has so far provided limited details on whether the talks will be direct or indirect.



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The visit follows a White House announcement on Wednesday that Trump had tasked Vance with helping secure a resolution to the conflict, even as the US president simultaneously escalated his rhetoric, including threats to wipe out Iran's "whole civilization" if diplomacy fails.

A Fragile Ceasefire

The Islamabad talks are taking place amid a fragile two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran that has opened a narrow window for diplomacy. However, significant differences remain. Iran has insisted that any truce must include an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon, a condition both Israel and the US have rejected. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that operations against Hezbollah will continue.

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Washington has separately demanded that Tehran ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route that Iran had restricted amid the escalating standoff. Trump on Thursday criticised Iran's handling of maritime traffic, saying it was "doing a very poor job" of allowing oil tankers through and warning on social media, "That is not the agreement we have!"