BUDAPEST: The US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday urged Iran not to allow the fragile ceasefire to collapse over Israel’s strikes in Lebanon, just days before he is set to lead talks with Tehran in Pakistan.
As Iran’s President stressed that a truce in Lebanon is a key condition for ending the broader Middle East conflict, Vance said the dispute appeared to stem from a “legitimate misunderstanding.”
“I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t. We never made that promise,” Vance said as he left Hungary.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart… over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice.”
🚨 JD VANCE DROPS TRUTH ON IRAN: “If Iran wants to let this negotiation FALL APART, when they were getting HAMMERED, over LEBANON — which was never part of the ceasefire — that’s ultimately their choice. We think that would be DUMB.”
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 8, 2026
A day after Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week truce, Israel launched its heaviest strikes on Lebanon. The attacks killed at least 112 people and wounded hundreds, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
However, Vance said Israel had indicated it was prepared to exercise restraint.
“The Israelis… have actually offered to be, frankly, to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon, because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful,” Vance said.
The US Vice President added that President Donald Trump expects Iran to honour its commitment to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil shipments.
Earlier, the White House confirmed that the US President Donald Trump is dispatching a high-level US negotiating team led by Vice President JD Vance to Islamabad for upcoming talks with Iran this weekend, signalling Washington’s intent to advance diplomatic efforts following a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire between the two sides.
“I can announce that the president is dispatching his negotiating team led by the Vice President of the United States, JD, Vance, special envoy Witkoff and Mr. Kushner to Islamabad for talks this weekend,” Leavitt told reporters in the White House briefing room.
Pakistan-brokered US-Iran truce
On Wednesday morning, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the United States, its allies, and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire “everywhere”, including Lebanon, following mediation by his government to stop weeks of fighting.
“I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY,” Sharif posted on X.
He added that Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, would welcome delegations from both countries on Friday to hold negotiations aimed at reaching a “conclusive agreement”.
“We earnestly hope that the ‘Islamabad Talks’ succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in the coming days,” he said.
Both Tehran and Washington announced they had agreed to a two-week ceasefire barely an hour before President Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire.
Accepting Pakistan’s suggestion of a two-week ceasefire, US President Donald Trump announced a two-week suspension of military action against Iran following discussions with Pakistan’s leadership.
