Iran on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) reportedly told the US it would prefer Vice President J. D. Vance instead of President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to re-enter negotiations on its nuclear programme.
An American media report suggested that Iran believed its talks with Witkoff and Kushner wouldn’t be productive, given the “deficit of trust” following the breakdown of negotiations.
After their last round of talks in February 2026, the US-Israel airstrikes on Tehran killed its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28.
The report, citing sources in the US administration, claimed Iran viewed Vance as being “more sympathetic” than Witkoff and Kushner to end the West Asian war and wrap up the conflict between the US and one side and Iran on the other.
On Tuesday (March 24), Trump claimed that all key members of his diplomatic team were involved in the negotiations with Iran. “JD (Vance) is involved. Marco is involved. Jared Kushner is involved. Steve Witko is involved, and I am involved,” Trump said.
Trump also initiated diplomatic speculation on a possible role for Pakistan as a mediator in the West Asian conflict, after he shared an official statement, which said Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had offered to get involved in the negotiations with Iran.
Sharif, in a post on X, said Pakistan was ready to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the West Asian conflict, noting that Islamabad was “ready and honoured” to moderate “meaningful and conclusive talks” between the United States and Iran, provided there is a mutual agreement from both parties.
“Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in the Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond. Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,” Sharif’s post read
Pakistan’s offer came after Trump announced a halt in the military operations against Iran for five days after “very good and productive conversations” with Tehran. Apart from Pakistan, other nations that have offered to negotiate a settlement include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye.
Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir also spoke with Trump on Sunday (March 22), followed by Sharif’s phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday (March 23).
Pakistan’s senior officials, apart from officials from Egypt and Turkiye, were also talking to Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on a possible rapprochement in the West Asian conflict.
Media reports suggested that Witkoff and Kushner could meet an Iranian senior official in Pakistan this week, with Vance possibly joining the talks.
Qatar, which was mediating between the two sides, said on Tuesday (March 24) that it “supports all diplomatic efforts” to end the war. The same day, the US State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would meet with the G7 counterparts in France on Friday (March 27) to discuss the Iran war during his first foreign visit since the conflict began.
However, downplaying the speculation of Pakistan’s role in the negotiations, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions, and the US will not negotiate through the press.”
“This is a fluid situation, and speculation about meetings should not be deemed as final until they are formally announced by the White House,” she added.