US Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak at a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, April 12, 2026, in Islamabad. JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP
The head of the US delegation to anticipated peace talks with Iran, Vice President JD Vance, had yet to leave Washington on Tuesday, April 21, with Tehran still undecided on whether it would participate as the end of a temporary ceasefire drew near.
The two sides have offered different timelines for the expiration of the truce, with Iranian state TV saying the two-week pause would lapse at midnight GMT on Tuesday, while US President Donald Trump said it would end a day later, on Wednesday evening Washington time. Mediator Pakistan, which is hosting the negotiations between Washington and Tehran, has said the ceasefire will expire at 11:50 pm GMT on Tuesday, and whether the talks would go forward at all remained shrouded in doubt.
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US and Iran in diplomatic deadlock and naval escalation as ceasefire nears expiration
