President Donald Trump has dispatched Vice President JD Vance along with senior negotiators to Pakistan for high-level talks with Iran this weekend, aiming to secure a lasting ceasefire, the White House announced on Wednesday.
Leavitt: “I can announce that the president is dispatching his negotiating team, led by the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, Special Envoy Witkoff, and Mr. Kushner, to Islamabad for talks this weekend.” pic.twitter.com/LkKqW8aOh9
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) April 8, 2026
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the negotiations will take place in Islamabad starting Saturday morning local time. The announcement comes amid rising uncertainty over whether the recently declared two-week ceasefire will hold.
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Vance will be joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to Leavitt.
She rejected Iranian media claims that Tehran had once again shut down the Strait of Hormuz in response to intensified Israeli strikes in Lebanon, calling such a move “completely unacceptable.”
Leavitt emphasized that Trump is seeking the immediate and unrestricted reopening of the strait, adding that the U.S. intends to hold Iran accountable on the matter.
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She also clarified that Lebanon is not included in the current temporary ceasefire agreement, a point that appears to be causing friction with Iran.
While noting that the nearly six-week military operation has met and surpassed its primary objectives, Leavitt cautioned that ceasefires are inherently fragile and warned that reaching a durable, long-term peace will take time.
