Vice President JD Vance will once again lead the United States delegation in Islamabad, Pakistan despite security concerns surrounding the last minute notice of his travel plans.
🚨 JD VANCE IS SURGING TO PAKISTAN!
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 19, 2026
President Trump is now dispatching VP Vance to negotiate with Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan
These are MAKE-OR-BREAK, high stakes talks.
Iran is now staring down the barrel of the US military's arsenal. Trump made CLEAR that bridge and power… pic.twitter.com/4gVdna8rCV
Various new agencies had previously reported that Vance was slated to head the talks before President Donald Trump told ABC News that the Secret Service held concerns about the 24 hour turnaround time to provide security.
President Trump just told me Vance will not be going to Islamabad. He said the issue is security — the Secret Service couldn’t do it on 24 hours notice.
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) April 19, 2026
“It’s only because of security,” he told me. “JD’s great.” https://t.co/geDNJhN8p1
“It’s only because of security,” Trump told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl. “JD’s great.”
Vance will evidently power through the potential security risks in order to ensure that a deal is made with the Iranians, as a senior U.S. official later spoke to Karl to inform him that Vance would, in fact, be leaving for Pakistan to oversee the negotiations.
Senior U.S. official now tells ABC News that Vice President Vance is going to Islamabad and will be leading the U.S. delegation for talks with Iran. https://t.co/6GpT4P1EGd
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 19, 2026
The previous round of peace talks, headed by Vance and backed by Jared Kushner and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, proved fruitless after the Iranian delegation refused to play ball with any U.S. demands.
The talks will face heightened tension as Iranian forces continue to launch attacks against merchant vessels that attempt to cross through the Strait of Hormuz. Negotiations are set to begin on Tuesday.