By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President JD Vance communicated with intermediaries from Pakistan about the Iran conflict as recently as Tuesday, a person briefed on the matter told Reuters, a sign of his expanding role in efforts to broker an end to the conflict.
At President Donald Trump’s direction, Vance signaled privately that Trump was open to a ceasefire as long as certain U.S. demands were met, the source told Reuters on Wednesday.
Vance also delivered what the source described as a “stern message” that Trump was impatient, warning there would be growing pressure on Iranian infrastructure unless Tehran agreed to a deal.
Pakistan has been acting as an intermediary between the United States and Iran, the source said.
Vance has taken a greater role in trying to negotiate an end to the war, now in its fifth week. Widely viewed as a potential successor to Trump in the 2028 presidential election, Vance has taken a cautious approach on the conflict, reflecting his long-held skepticism of prolonged U.S. military involvement overseas.
The source said the team that Trump has said are involved in negotiations – Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – remain involved.
Trump has warned the U.S. would attack Iranian infrastructure but has delayed launching such attacks on Iran’s power grid until April 6 in hopes of reaching a deal with Tehran.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Daphne Psaledakis, Colleen Jenkins and Nia Williams)
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