JD Vance says the ball is ‘in Iran’s court’ after peace talks stalled in Pakistan
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Vice President JD Vance said Iran has a hand in deciding the future of the Middle East conflict, while rejecting reports that recent peace talks in Pakistan have failed.
Vance’s comments come after his weekend trip to Pakistan for face-to-face talks with Iranian officials – talks that reports say were unsuccessful.
“The ball is too big in their court,” Vance told “Special Report” host Bret Baier on Monday. “You ask what happens next, I think the Iranians will decide what happens next.”
Vance said there were “good conversations” at the weekend talks that helped clarify US priorities, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key international oil route.
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Vice President JD Vance shakes hands with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on April 12, 2026, after talks on Iran. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Chief of Defense Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir, and US Ambassador Natalie A. Baker watched as Vance prepared to board Air Force Two. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
“I you couldn’t just say things didn’t go well. I also think things went well. We have made great progress,” he said.
“They moved towards us, that’s why I think we can say that we have good signs, but they didn’t move far enough.”
Vance told Fox News that the peace talks in Pakistan ended because the Iranian negotiators could not finalize an agreement, adding that the talks revealed details of who is in charge of decisions in Tehran.
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“We we got some information about how the Iranians negotiate, that’s why we left Pakistan,” he said.
“What we found was that they couldn’t, I think – the group that was there, they couldn’t cut the deal,” he explained. “They had to go back to Tehran, be it the supreme leader or somebody else, and actually get approval for the terms that we had set.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump began a blockade of all Iranian ports on Monday, following weeks of tension in which Iran blocked American ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
“What see [Iranians] What you have done is engage in this act of economic terrorism around the world. They threaten basically any ship passing through the Straits of Hormuz. However, as the President of the United States has shown, two can play in that game,” Vance said.
US naval vessels have been ordered to identify and flag any vessels associated with Iran transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Vance said that given the ceasefire agreement in the United States, he expected Iran to reopen the important trade route, but acknowledged that it was a point of policy where the Iranians “tried to move” during the Pakistan talks.
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“We have stopped bombing the country. What we expect is for the Iranian people to stop reopening the Straits of Hormuz,” the vice president told Fox News.
The administration’s strategy to target Iranian vessels shows the intensity of its pressure campaign to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — this time, by choking off Iran’s ability to transport its oil.
The ship is seen passing through the Strait of Hormuz during the two-week temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 8, 2026. (Photos by Shady Alassar/Anadolu/Getty)
“If the Iranians are going to try to engage in economic terrorism, we’re going to follow a simple rule that no Iranian ships come out with them,” Vance said. “We know that’s a big deal for them. We know it works for more economic development.”
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Vance said the United States still has a big role to play, as the next move is in Iran.
“We have a great opportunity in the military,” the vice president said. “Now we have more economic pressure that we apply to them through the blockade we have placed on their oil from the Straits of Hormuz.”
“We have a lot of cards. We are strong, and we will see what the Iranians will do with that,” he continued.
Vance also addressed reports that he doubts Trump’s move to launch a war against Iran alongside Israel.
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“I I gave my advice to the President of the United States, and we all do. And I expect that if I give advice to the President of the United States that it will be confidential because the president has to rely on his senior advisors without having to run to the media.”
“What I will say, Bret, is that I agree with the president 100% that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
