JD Vance Sends Iran a Serious Warning as He Departs for High-Stakes Negotiations

Vice President J.D. Vance said America is ready to talk with Iran about a peaceful future, but said the Trump administration will have no patience with delaying tactics.

Vance left Friday for Islamabad, Pakistan, for talks with Iran about making the fragile ceasefire that took effect Tuesday into a more durable agreement.

“As the president of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand.” Vance said, according to a video posted to X.

“If they’re gonna try and play us, then they’re gonna find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”

“We’re gonna try to have a positive negotiation; the president gave us some pretty clear guidelines, and we’ll see,” Vance said.

.@VP departs for Islamabad, Pakistan: “As @POTUS said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.” pic.twitter.com/9nNDGsMmId

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 10, 2026

Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a past Middle East negotiator, are expected to join Vance, according to The New York Times.

Vance’s role is essential, one commentator noted.

“Because the vice president can pull all the strands together like no other cabinet member, it’s as close to a mirror to the president as you can get,” Philip H. Gordon,  the national security adviser to former Vice President Kamala Harris, said.

“The vice president doesn’t have to be central to anything, but when asked to undertake an important diplomatic mission, then the vice president is hugely empowered,” he said.

Earlier this week, Vance noted that Iran can either deal fairly or face more attacks.

“I think the president has struck a good deal for the American people, but fundamentally, the Iranians have got to take the next step, or the president has a lot of options to go back to the war,” he said.

During a visit to Hungary earlier in the week, Vance said Iran has factions fighting for power, according to CBS News.

“This is why I say this is a fragile truce,” Vance said.

“You have people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal and then you have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we’ve already struck,” he said.

Vance said Trump has shown “we still have clear military, diplomatic and, maybe most importantly, we have extraordinary economic leverage.”

Trump “has told us not to use those tools,” he said.

“He’s told us to come to negotiating table,” Vance said. “But if the Iranians don’t do the exact same thing, they’re going to find out that the president of the United States is not one to mess around. He’s impatient. He’s impatient to make progress.”

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