JD Vance says the ball is ‘in Iran’s court’ after Pakistan peace talks stall
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Vice President J.D. Vance dismissed reports that recent peace talks in Pakistan have failed, saying Iran has the deciding hand on what happens next in the Middle East conflict.
Vance’s remarks followed his weekend visit to Pakistan for face-to-face talks with Iranian officials; According to reports, no progress was made in these talks.
“The ball is very much in their court,” Vance told “Special Report” host Bret Baier on Monday. “You’re asking what happens next, I think the Iranians will determine what happens next.”
Vance said weekend talks had “good discussions” that helped clarify U.S. priorities, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key international oil route.
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Vice President J.D. Vance shakes hands with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on April 12, 2026, after talks on Iran. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Chief of Defense Staff Chief of Defense Staff Marshal Asim Munir, and U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker look on as Vance prepares to board Air Force Two. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
“I I just wouldn’t say things went wrong. I also think things are going well. “We’ve made a lot of progress,” he said.
“They moved in our direction, so we can say we got some good signs, but they didn’t move far enough.”
Vance told Fox News that Pakistani peace talks ended because Iranian negotiators were unable to reach an agreement, adding that the discussions revealed insights into who has decision-making authority in Tehran.
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“We “We got some information about how the Iranians negotiated, and ultimately that’s why we left Pakistan,” he said.
“What we realized was, I think the team that was there couldn’t come to an agreement,” he explained. “They had to go back to Tehran and get approval of the terms we set, either from the religious leader or someone else.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump imposed a naval blockade of all Iranian ports on Monday, following weeks of tensions in which Iran banned US ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
“What Them [Iranians] What we are doing is engaging in this act of economic terrorism against the entire world. They basically threatened every ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz. “As the President of the United States has demonstrated, two people can play this game,” Vance said.
US Navy ships were ordered to detect and mark Iranian ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Vance said the United States expects Iran to fully reopen the critical trade route given the ceasefire agreement, but acknowledged that this was a bullseye the Iranians were “trying to move” toward during the Pakistan talks.
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Speaking to Fox News, the vice president said, “We have stopped bombing the country. What we expect the Iranians to give up is the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.”
The administration’s strategy of targeting Iranian ships marks an intensification of its pressure campaign to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, this time by strangling Iran’s ability to transport its own oil.
A ship is seen passing through the Strait of Hormuz during the two-week temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 8, 2026. (Shady Alassar/Anadolu/Getty Images)
“If “The Iranians will try to engage in economic terrorism, and we will stick to the simple principle of no Iranian ship going out,” Vance said. “We know this is a big deal for them. We know this applies additional economic leverage.”
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Vance said that although the next move was Iran’s, the United States still maintained the upper hand.
“We have the military advantage,” the vice president said. “We now have additional economic pressure that we are putting on them through the blockade of oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz.”
“We have a lot of cards. We have power, and we’ll see what the Iranians do with it,” he continued.
Vance also touched upon reports that he was skeptical of Trump’s move to launch a war against Iran along with Israel.
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“I Give my advice to the President of the United States, we all do. “And that’s what I expect when I advise the President of the United States that this will be private because the president should trust his senior advisors without going to the media.”
“What I will say, Bret, is that I agree 100 percent with the President that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
