Vance Says US Left Pakistan Talks After Concluding Iran Team Lacked Authority

Future talks are entirely up to Iran

US Vice President JD Vance said on June 13 that Washington concluded the Iranian delegation sent to Pakistan for ceasefire talks lacked the authority and ability to finalize an agreement. He added that any further ceasefire negotiations with Iran depend entirely on Tehran.

"Whether additional talks take place and whether we ultimately reach a deal is entirely up to Iran," Vance told Fox News on June 13, explaining why the US delegation left the talks held in Pakistan on June 11 and June 12.

Addressing the collapse of the first face-to-face talks with Iran, Vance said it would be wrong to say everything had simply gone badly. Some parts of the talks went well, he said, adding that the US had made its position very clear and that this was part of the progress achieved. The US is said to have demanded during the talks that Iran ship out its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and give up control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance also commented on the public clash between Pope Leo XIV, who has expressed opposition to the war with Iran, and President Donald Trump.

"When the Vatican weighs in on public policy, there will inevitably be times when we agree and times when we disagree," he said. In some cases, he added, it is best for the Vatican to focus on moral issues and internal Catholic Church matters, while the US president concentrates on setting American public policy. "But when those two things collide, they collide," he added.

He also referred to the results of Hungary's general election, in which Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling party suffered a heavy defeat. Vance said Orban's loss was regrettable, but added that the US would work smoothly with Hungary's next prime minister as well.

Lee Jung-woo, Hankyung.com reporter krse9059@hankyung.com