JD Vance will be staying out of the next round of peace talks with Iran in Islamabad.

The US vice president, who led the US delegation in the first round of talks with Tehran that collapsed, will not be attending the second round of negotiations when they resume today, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday. 

She noted that he will remain on ‘standby’ to travel to Pakistan should peace talks become serious and said it was not a case of the VP being sidelined by President Donald Trump.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner will still attend in a new bid to salvage ceasefire talks with Tehran, even as Iran ruled out direct negotiations with US representatives. 

In a statement, Leavitt said: ‘Steve and Jared will be heading to Pakistan tomorrow to hear the Iranians out.

‘The president, the vice president, the secretary of state, will be waiting here in the United States for updates, and the vice president, I understand, is on standby and will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it’s a necessary use of his time.’

The latest effort to broker a deal comes as an indefinite ceasefire has paused most fighting, but economic fallout is still mounting with global energy shipments disrupted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan has been trying to get US and Iranian officials back to the table after Trump this week announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran, honouring Islamabad’s request for more time for diplomatic outreach.

The White House had said on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner were going to meet with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.  But shortly after Araghchi arrived in Islamabad, his ministry said any talks would be indirect, with messages conveyed between the two sides by Pakistani officials.

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