Vance to become the highest-ranking US official to participate in Iran talks in decades - Media
Kyiv • UNN
The US Vice President will be the highest-ranking official since 1979 to engage in talks with Tehran. The parties will discuss a ceasefire after a two-week truce.
When US Vice President J.D. Vance arrives in Pakistan on Saturday for ceasefire talks with Iran, he will be the highest-ranking American official to engage in negotiations with the Iranians since 1979, UNN reports, citing CNN.
Details
The publication notes that these talks will be the latest chapter in the tumultuous history of interaction between Washington and Tehran.
Over the past year, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held indirect talks with Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, and American envoy Steve Witkoff, aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program. These efforts ultimately failed after Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, and another round of talks this year was interrupted when the US killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on the first day of the war in late February.
The last major breakthrough occurred in 2015, when the US and Iran, along with other world powers, reached a nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which placed limits on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief after years of negotiations.
These negotiations were led by then-Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
This agreement built on earlier stages. In 2013, President Barack Obama held a phone call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, which was the first direct contact between the leaders of the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Obama set the tone in his 2009 inaugural address, saying, "If you unclench your fist, we will extend our hand."
Even before that, in the late 1990s, Iran's reformist President Mohammad Khatami called for a "dialogue among civilizations," making attempts at cultural and diplomatic rapprochement with the US during the Clinton administration.
In 1989, President George H.W. Bush offered his own cautious approach, stating that "goodwill begets goodwill," thereby implying that cooperation, particularly on the release of American hostages in Lebanon, could lead to a warming of relations. This warming of relations never materialized.
Vance traveled to Pakistan for talks with Iran10.04.26, 17:25 • 2120 views
Recall
On the night of April 8, US President Donald Trump announced a two-week suspension of attacks on Iran.
Iran and Israel, following the US, agreed to a two-week ceasefire.