He beckons, even if he was unsuccessful: US Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad.Image: keystone
US Vice President JD Vance has returned from Pakistan after a 21-hour round of negotiations – without success. What options does the Trump administration have now?
April 12, 2026, 11:40April 12, 2026, 11:40
JD Vance negotiated with the Iranian delegation for 21 hours – but this marathon was of little use. The Vice President had to leave the mediating country of Pakistan on Saturday without any results. The Iranians rejected Vance’s “take it or leave it” offer, writes the New York Times. Its content: Iran should end its nuclear program forever.
The NYT report goes on to say that the Trump government now has two options. Either the USA can resume lengthy negotiations or continue the war, which is severely affecting global energy supplies. Both options are unacceptable.
Option 1: Continue negotiating
“We showed them clearly where our red line is and where we will accommodate them,” JD Vance told reporters on Saturday. But: “You have decided not to accept our conditions.” This round of negotiations is no different from the one in February.
At that time, the Iranians had offered to put their nuclear program on hold for a few years, but they refused to give up their arsenal of enriched uranium and the ability to produce it domestically. This failed round of negotiations, which was led by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, triggered Trump’s decision to go to war.
The last agreement the US reached with Iran came after two years of tough negotiations under President Obama and was full of compromises. Iran was granted the right to always retain part of its nuclear arsenal.
After 38 days of American bombing, the Iranians are unlikely to have changed their mind about their nuclear program, the NYT continues. The opposite is probably the case.
Option 2: Keep getting it
Trump’s greatest leverage is his ability to let the fighting flare up again – after all, the negotiated ceasefire expires on April 21st. But the Iranians know that threatening this would be politically awkward for the US President.
With the ceasefire, Trump primarily wanted to ensure that the bottlenecks caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz were somewhat alleviated. The stock markets reacted positively to the ceasefire – because it increased hopes of an agreement.
If the war were to continue, on the one hand the bottlenecks that have arisen (gasoline, fertilizer, helium for semiconductors, etc.) would continue to grow, while on the other hand the stock markets would continue to plummet and US inflation, which has increased by over three percent since the beginning of the war, would continue to rise.
Ultimately, Vance’s trip to Pakistan showed one thing: both sides saw themselves as winners of the first round. The US, because it dropped an incredible number of missiles and bombs on Iran; the Iranians because they survived. And neither of them seems willing to compromise.
(cpf)