Vice President JD Vance is being considered to lead high-stakes peace negotiations with Iran in Pakistan, even as conflicting reports of diplomatic progress are overshadowed by fresh Iranian missile strikes on Israel and a humanitarian crisis involving a school bombing.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has emerged as a potential chief negotiator for upcoming peace talks between the United States and Iran, reportedly to be brokered by Pakistan. Following indications from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Islamabad is ready to “facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks,” sources suggest Vance may replace traditional diplomatic leads Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Iranian insiders have signaled a refusal to negotiate further with Kushner and Witkoff, despite President Trump’s claims of “very, very strong talks” and “major points of agreement.” This diplomatic shift comes as the region faces intense volatility, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) dismissing U.S. overtures as “psychological operations” and the Kremlin warning against any military spillover into the Caspian Sea.
The diplomatic push coincides with a dramatic escalation in hostilities, as Iran launched multiple missile waves at Israel overnight. The strikes caused significant damage to residential buildings in Tel Aviv, prompting emergency rescues of civilians trapped in shelters. These attacks followed President Trump’s decision to postpone strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, citing what he described on Truth Social as “very good and productive” conversations aimed at a “complete and total resolution of hostilities.” However, the alleged Iranian interlocutor, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, flatly denied any such meetings occurred, labeling the reports “fake news” designed to “escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped.”
Amid the ongoing military exchange, Tehran has requested an urgent United Nations Human Rights Council debate regarding a fatal airstrike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school during the initial US-Israeli offensive. Iranian Ambassador Ali Bahreini condemned the strike, which reportedly killed 168 children, stating, “A strike on a functioning school during class hours represents a grave assault on children, on education, and on the future of the entire community.” While the Pentagon has elevated its probe into the incident, U.S. military investigators previously noted it is “likely that US forces were responsible” for the double missile strike, though a final conclusion has yet to be reached.