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Trump threatens to 'hit Iran very hard again' while Vance in Switzerland for talks
President Trump has threatened further attacks on Iran while Vice President Vance attended talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland on Sunday.
"Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!" Trump wrote in a social media post on Sunday.
A day earlier, Iran's military announced it had closed the Strait of Hormuz because of continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Iran said the U.S. failure to rein in Israel violated the terms of last week's tentative agreement, which specifies that all fighting in Lebanon must end.
Also on Sunday, Vance, who arrived in Switzerland in the early morning, met with representatives from Pakistan who have been brokering the talks – including with the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
An Iranian team, mediators from Qatar and Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, are also attending the meetings.
The talks are focused on a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed by both the U.S. and Iran last week, but which is already coming under intense strain. While Iran on Saturday said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command has said shipping through the strait was proceeding normally.
Also under discussion is Iran's nuclear program, another controversial topic. On Sunday morning, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said: "What is certain is that we will never back down from the right to enrich uranium, and the other side is also forced to accept it". Iran has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful.
Despite announcing a ceasefire on Friday, Israeli forces and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire throughout Saturday, further putting pressure on the negotiations.
Despite the tensions, Vance claimed the talks were going well, telling reporters on Sunday: "We've already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we'll make additional progress in the hours to come."
Vance said there has been "great progress" in the last couple of days and "these things are always a little bit messy" when asked if he had a message for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"There, of course, are going to be sometimes disagreements about precisely how to get there, but I actually feel great about where we are in Lebanon. There's still some additional wood to chop, but we're going to keep on working," Vance said.
The Vice President also said the U.S. has "done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any government anywhere in the world."
At least 16 people, including civilians, were killed by Israeli strikes on Saturday, according to the Lebanese National News Agency. Israel said the strikes were a response to Hezbollah firing projectiles at its forces overnight on Saturday. Hezbollah said it fired in response to Israel moving toward Lebanese territory.
On Sunday, however, the interim head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon told NPR that for the first time since the war between Israel and Hezbollah started on March 2, the peacekeeping force has recorded no attacks from either side.
Neither Israel or Lebanon have signed the Memorandum of Understanding, but the agreement calls for respect of Lebanese sovereignty, a provision Iran says the U.S. must enforce. It also calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon.
NPR's Jane Arraf contributed to this report.
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Vice President JD Vance meets with officials from Pakistan, Qatar and Iran for talks in Lucerne, Switzerland as Iran threatened to close down the Strait of Hormuz after Israel’s strikes on Lebanon. NBC News’ Keir Simmons and Gary Grumbach report on President Donald Trump’s intentions to reset relations with Tehran and his threats to attack again if the Hezbollah and Israel conflict escalates. June 21, 2026
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US and Iran begin talks on initial peace deal in Switzerland
US and Iranian officials have started direct talks in Switzerland after signing an initial agreement to end the war last week.
The deal includes a commitment to reach a final agreement within 60 days, as well as an end to fighting on "all fronts" - including in Lebanon - and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
But more clashes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon prompted Iran to announce it had shut the shipping route on Saturday - though tracking data shows vessels have continued to pass through it.
After talks started, President Donald Trump said on social media that Iran "must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble".
He threatened to "hit Iran very hard again" if they did not.
Before the talks began, Vice-President JD Vance had said the US hoped for progress on "the nuclear issue" and Lebanon, while Tehran said it would be "demanding that the other side fulfil its commitments".
At the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, Vance said Trump had asked negotiators to "turn over a new leaf". He added that if Iran's leadership was willing to give up being a "driver of regional instability" and "nuclear weapons ambitions for the longer term", then the US "is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country".
Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement that negotiations for a final deal were contingent on enforcing existing commitments - including stopping all military operations. Sunday's talks were focused on implementation, he said.
Vance was joined by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
For the Iranians, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Switzerland late on Saturday.
The delegations were joined by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the head of the country's armed forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Pakistan has acted as a mediator throughout the war, and hosted a previous round of negotiations between the US and Iran.
The US and Iranian presidents signed the initial agreement earlier this week, aiming to end the war with immediate effect.
Under the deal, Iran was to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping channel through which 20% of the world's oil and natural gas travels. Its effective closure had driven up fuel prices and disrupted the global economy.
The US also agreed to lift a military blockade on ships going to and from Iranian ports.
The initial deal also included a $300bn (£224bn) plan for Iran's "reconstruction", and the US terminating "all types of sanctions" on it.
But the issue of Iran's nuclear programme, the main reason stated by the US for the conflict, is still to be negotiated. In Trump's first term, he withdrew the US from an Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed economic sanctions.
Under this week's initial deal, fighting was also supposed to stop on all fronts, but deadly conflict continued between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, despite the deal and a ceasefire agreed by the two sides on Friday.
Since the deal was signed, Israeli air strikes have killed at least 67 people, while Hezbollah attacks have killed five Israeli soldiers.
Iran accused the US and Israel of violating the ceasefire, and said it would close the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday in response.
However, some vessels appeared to be entering, exiting and transiting the strait on Sunday, according to location data on the maritime tracking website MarineTraffic.
Four tankers passed through the strait by late afternoon.
Four other vessels, all cargo or carrier ships, appear to be heading eastwards after being stationary on the western approach to the strait since the end of last week. In the other direction, four vessels appear to be heading out of the strait westwards having departed waters off the Iran coast.
Tracking data may not capture all movements as some vessels may have turned their trackers off.
Israel has insisted that its conflict with Hezbollah is separate from the war on Iran, which it mounted alongside the US on 28 February.
Lebanon was drawn into the war shortly afterwards, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed Iran's supreme leader.
Israel responded by launching a bombing campaign across Lebanon and occupying around 5% of the country's territory in the south - hoping to drive back Hezbollah fighters from its northern border - and has said it has no intention of withdrawing.
Since 2 March, 4,057 people have been killed in Lebanon, the country's health ministry says. At least 34 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon, and four civilians in northern Israel, Israeli authorities say.
Additional reporting by Emma Pengelly and Richard Irvine-Brown
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Vice President JD Vance was holding talks in Switzerland Sunday with Iranian officials, with the days-old peace deal at risk from Israel’s strikes on Lebanon and Iran’s threats to ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Vance, joined at the negotiations by President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, was set to meet a senior Iranian delegation to discuss the technical details of a memorandum of understanding signed last week.
The deal has already been tested by fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Iran signaled would be central to the talks. “The first mandate of the negotiating delegation in Switzerland is to end the aggression in Lebanon,” a spokesman for Iran’s presidential office said.
Israel and Hezbollah have both accused each other of violating a ceasefire in southern Lebanon with continued strikes, even as the Trump administration and Iran press for fighting there to end.
Trump said Sunday that Iran must “immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon,” referring to Hezbollah. “If they don’t we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Iran said Saturday that it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil passes, alleging ceasefire violations by Israel. The U.S. military has denied Iran’s claim to control the strait.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy warned ships not to approach the waterway, which Iran had committed to reopening under the interim peace deal.
Despite that move, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday warned against unspecified voices in Iran pressing for a return to conflict.
Continuing the war “is not in the interest of any individual or group,” he stressed, adding that if there are “internal rifts” in Tehran, “then there will be no need for Israel and America. We will destroy the country ourselves.”
Amid uncertainty over whether the waterway is actually open, Trump said Saturday on Truth Social that there would be “NO TOLLS” on the strait during or after the current 60-day ceasefire, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America.”
Trump added that the U.S. could charge tolls for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, referring to the U.S. as the “Guardian Angel” of the Middle East.
Iran, through various officials and channels, has said that the failure to implement the first clause of the MOU means there is no agreement in effect.
A violation of Article 1, which specified that fighting must end on all fronts, including Lebanon, “calls the entire agreement into question,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Saturday, warning that unless the other side immediately adopts the necessary measures, the memorandum as a whole will face serious difficulties.
Israel killed at least 16 people in strikes in Lebanon on Saturday, according to the country’s health ministry, after strikes on Friday killed 83. That surge in strikes followed Hezbollah attacks that killed four Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.
A statement from the Israel Defense Forces on Saturday said Hezbollah had breached the ceasefire and “launched more than 50 projectiles toward IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon,” and that Israel had attacked what it described as Hezbollah targets in response. “The IDF remains committed to the ceasefire agreement,” the statement said.
Hezbollah said it had adhered to the ceasefire, accusing Israel of making false claims to justify its attacks in an effort to “sabotage the agreement” between Iran and the U.S.
Speaking to reporters before he boarded the plane to Switzerland, Vance said that the situation in Lebanon had “calmed down” despite news reports, and added: “I think we’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, hopefully make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we’re going to be focused on.”
Iran’s parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are leading the Iranian delegation.
The talks will be joined by mediators from Qatar and Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the Swiss city of Zurich on Sunday, along with his delegation.
The current agreement establishes toll-free travel through the strait for 60 days.
Negotiations in Switzerland are also meant to resolve some of the thorniest issues in the deal that are yet to be agreed upon, including Iran’s nuclear program.
According to the memorandum of understanding, Iran has reaffirmed a promise not to develop nuclear weapons — which it did under the Obama administration’s 2015 nuclear deal.
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance drew attention during high-stakes U.S.-Iran peace talks in Switzerland after remarking that the two most important people in his life are “an Indian and a Pakistani”. He referred to his wife, Usha Vance, and Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir.
Speaking at the opening session of negotiations in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, Vance used the light-hearted comment while acknowledging Pakistan’s role in helping facilitate dialogue between Washington and Tehran. According to reports from the talks, he said he often jokes that the two most significant people in his life are an Indian and a Pakistani, identifying the Indian as his wife and the Pakistani as Field Marshal Munir.
READ: JD Vance delays Switzerland trip to lead US talks about Iran nuclear program (June 19, 2026)
The remarks came as the United States and Iran launched a new round of direct negotiations aimed at easing regional tensions, addressing Iran’s nuclear program, and stabilizing conflicts across the Middle East. The discussions are being mediated with assistance from Pakistan and Qatar.
Vance reserved particular praise for Munir, saying he had spoken with the Pakistani military leader frequently over the past several months and credited him with helping bring the parties to the negotiating table. He described Munir as both an effective military commander and a capable diplomat whose efforts were instrumental in advancing the peace process.
The vice president also thanked Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for Islamabad’s diplomatic support. Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary in recent U.S.-Iran contacts, building on its earlier role in facilitating negotiations between the two sides.
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Vance arrived in Switzerland on June 21, accompanied by Usha Vance, for talks expected to last several days. The negotiations are viewed as a critical effort to prevent further escalation in the Middle East and to explore a broader framework for improved relations between Washington and Tehran.
During his opening remarks, Vance expressed optimism about the discussions, saying progress had already been made and emphasizing the possibility of reshaping regional relationships through diplomacy. He described the meeting as historic and said the United States was prepared to pursue a fundamentally different relationship with Iran if meaningful agreements could be reached.
His remarks about Usha Vance and Asim Munir quickly gained traction online, attracting attention in both India and Pakistan for highlighting personal relationships amid a major diplomatic initiative.
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OBBUERGEN, Switzerland (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Sunday there was an opportunity to “turn over a new leaf” with Iran as the sides held talks aimed at building out the interim deal to end the war in Iran reached by the two sides last week.
But even as Vance called on Tehran to build on the moment, President Donald Trump threatened to restart strikes on Iran for its support of Hezbollah militants in Lebanon or if it moved to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump said on social media, one of multiple provocative warnings to Iran on Sunday. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
Vance and U.S. negotiators met with Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a Swiss mountainside resort near Lake Lucerne. Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar were also present for the direct engagement that, according to Iranian state media, lasted about 80 minutes. The U.S. and Iranian negotiating teams also held separate private talks with Pakistani and Qatari officials.
The U.S. is looking to get Iran locked into negotiations over its nuclear program amid concerns it may be used for military purposes, which Iran denies. Vance also is pushing Tehran to commit to keeping open the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway through which about a fifth of world traded oil passes.
But Trump's comments from afar—he spent much of the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland— appeared to threaten to derail the negotiations.
“They would do better to be careful about their statements," Qalibaf posted on X. "Our armed forces are prepared to respond to them in a different manner. They may keep talking, it is we who act.”
Iranian state media said the talks had entered a “difficult phase” and recessed after the “publication of an insulting message by the U.S. President.” The Iranian delegation then met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiating site, state media said.
Despite the heated social media exchanges, an official with knowledge of the talks later told the AP the Iranian delegation remained engaged in the talks and has not indicated to mediators any intention to leave. The official requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.
Iran first wants to focus on Israeli strikes
in Lebanon
The interim agreement was signed last week, and top American and Iranian negotiators are in a 60-day sprint to reach an agreement on the technical details that hold massive implications for the world economy and global security.
The on-again, off-again conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants continues to threaten to derail the effort for the U.S. to win concessions from Tehran on its nuclear program and keep the strait open.
“The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together? Can we turn over a new leaf?” Vance said as the talks, dubbed the “Lake Lucerne Summit,” got underway.
“Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently, or do we go back to doing things the old way, which is not our preference, but is certainly very much something that can happen.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the country's state news agency that their team's negotiations looked to focus on the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Only days after signing the agreement, it was stress-tested after fighting escalated in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah — and by the subsequent announcement by Iran’s military that it had again closed the vital waterway. Still, a renewed ceasefire in Lebanon, brokered on Saturday, appeared to be holding.
The agreement signed by Trump and Iranian President Pezeshkian immediately allows Tehran to sell its oil freely and paves the way for Iran to tap into billions of dollars in assets that are currently frozen. It also calls for Iran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, believed to be buried under nuclear sites that were targeted in U.S. strikes last summer.
Pezeshkian, however, has insisted on Iran maintaining its right to enrich uranium.
He repeated that stance on Sunday. “What is certain is that we will never back down from the right to enrich uranium, and the other side is also forced to accept it,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iran’s state media.
Trump, in a telephone interview Sunday with Fox News, warned that the Iranian president should watch what he says and threatened to take over the rest of the country, in comments relayed by a Fox correspondent.
A delayed meeting is now back on
Iran had cautiously approached the talks given its previous experience with U.S. negotiations on the nuclear issue, which twice in the past year were interrupted by massive military strikes against the country. “The implementation of any document is more important than its signing,” Baghaei said Sunday.
Vance had originally been slated to be on the ground at the Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne on Friday, but his departure from the United States was delayed after fighting escalated in Lebanon and Iranian officials canceled plans to attend the talks.
U.S. Central Command disputed Iran’s claim that it had once again shuttered the strait and said U.S. forces continued to monitor the situation to ensure traffic continues to flow through the waterway. Vance has said that millions of barrels of oil have moved through the strait in recent days.
The vice president was joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, for Sunday's talks. Witkoff and Kushner were on the ground in Switzerland ahead of Vance to discuss technical details of the nuclear talks.
Vance said he planned to be in Switzerland for just “a day or two,” leaving much of the detailed negotiations to be spearheaded by Witkoff and Kushner. His role in the talks has heightened scrutiny of the vice president at a time when he’s actively considering a 2028 presidential campaign.
The deal has stirred much controversy
Trump and Vance have come under searing criticism from parts of their own party for the deal, with Republican hard-liners unfavorably likening it to a nuclear agreement signed by the Obama administration that Trump and the GOP have insisted did nothing to actually terminate Iran’s nuclear program.
The agreement says commercial vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days without charge, but does not preclude future fees imposed by Iran. Trump made his own threat Saturday to levy U.S. tolls if there is no deal with Iran in 60 days, insisting in a social media post that the money would be for “services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East.”
The Trump administration has been working to reassure global markets that the Iran war has been merely a blip on oil prices, as Americans complain the conflict resulted in hiking gasoline prices ahead of peak summer travel. After the White House announced the deal a week ago, oil futures dropped almost 8% — and markets are expected to closely track the progress of talks when they open for trading Sunday evening.
Further complicating matters, neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the deal between the U.S. and Iran, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep his forces in southern Lebanon until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon.
Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
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US-Iran talks postponed as Vance pulls out of Switzerland trip
A new round of direct talks between the US and Iran have been postponed after Vice-President JD Vance delayed a planned trip to Switzerland.
The White House announced late on Thursday that Vance would not be travelling to the talks and said the logistics had not been "simple or predictable".
It comes a day after the US dropped its naval blockade of Iran after the two countries signed a deal aimed at ending the conflict.
While the deal also said fighting should end in Lebanon, the country's health ministry said Israeli strikes had killed at least 18 people in the south overnight.
Israel's military said it had targeted the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, and that four of its own soldiers had been killed.
Hours before the White House issued its statement, Hezbollah-linked Lebanese media reported that the talks had been suspended due to ongoing Israeli air strikes.
Negotiators had been due to meet for what US officials described as "technical discussions" on the next steps of the agreement signed earlier this week.
But Washington said plans for the talks had "not been finalised". It added that the US looked forward to "beginning technical talks as soon as possible".
Switzerland's foreign ministry later confirmed the talks at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort had been "postponed", although it said preparations for talks were continuing.
Swiss military and police officials had been patrolling the luxury hotel set high on a mountain overlooking Lake Lucerne, and a media centre had been set up for journalists.
The negotiations had been expected to focus on implementing the agreement, which is known as a Memorandum of Understanding, and begin discussions on longer-term issues, including Iran's nuclear programme.
Centred around 14 points, the deal includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a requirement that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, a $300bn (£224bn) plan for Iran's "reconstruction", and the US terminating "all types of sanctions" on Iran.
It also binds both sides to achieving a final deal in a "maximum" of 60 days, which could be extended with mutual consent.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he had approved the deal with the US despite having a "different view", claiming Trump had "out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage" to bring it about.
He said that while there would be "in-person negotiations in the future" between Tehran and Washington, this would "not mean acceptance of the enemy's position".
President Trump has said he expected a ceasefire to take effect "on all fronts", including between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, something which is also set out in the text of the agreement.
But both Israel and Hezbollah have carried out strikes against each other since the deal was announced.
Lebanon's state news agency described the overnight bombardment as one of the most intense of the war, with the health ministry reporting at least 18 killed, 33 injured and several buildings hit.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had targeted infrastructure and individuals linked to Hezbollah.
Responding to the deaths of the four IDF soldiers on Friday, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that "all of Lebanon must burn".
"With all due respect to the Americans, Israel must make it clear to the entire world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are not up for bargaining," he wrote on X.
Vance had publicly criticised the attitude of some members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet towards the deal on Thursday, including Ben-Gvir - telling reporters Israel should "wake up and smell the reality".
Lebanon was drawn into the war between Israel, the US and Iran shortly after it began, with Hezbollah launching rockets into Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed Iran's supreme leader.
Israel responded by launching a bombing campaign across Lebanon and invading a significant part of the country's south, with the aim of driving back Hezbollah fighters from its northern border.
Since then, Lebanese health authorities say more than 3,900 people have been killed in Israeli attacks, among them women and children. It is not clear whether or how many Hezbollah fighters are among them.
Israeli authorities say at least 30 soldiers and four civilians have been killed on both sides of the border in the same period.
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In Trump's shadow, Vance becomes face of Iran deal
As he defended the US-Iran deal at the White House press briefing on Thursday, Vice-President JD Vance brushed aside a question about whether President Donald Trump had positioned him as the "fall guy" for an agreement that is broadly unpopular with Republicans in Washington.
"I think the president was joking," Vance said, referring to Trump's comment the previous day that he might blame the vice-president if the deal collapses.
Vance has spent the week defending the memorandum of understanding with Iran.
Yet he was often contradicted or overshadowed by Trump - and his uncertainty about the logistics of a signing ceremony he was planning to attend in Switzerland with Iranian leaders only further underscored his challenges in handling a defining issue of his vice-presidency.
Late Thursday, the White House announced that Vance would ultimately not be travelling for the ceremony, at least for now.
Despite all the challenges, Vance has still delivered a forceful defence of the deal.
He also delivered a blunt rebuke of Israel's response to the agreement, going further in his criticisms than anything Trump has said in recent days.
The timing is awkward for Vance, who just days ago published a memoir that intensified speculation about a possible presidential run in 2028.
It will be hard for him to sell this interim deal to a party that is divided between anti-interventionist Maga supporters who opposed the war from the start, and conservative Iran hawks who believe the White House has ultimately capitulated to Tehran.
Other senior administration officials, meanwhile, are not facing quite the same pressures as Vance when it comes to Iran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a potential rival for the 2028 Republican nomination, has manoeuvered himself out of the spotlight on this war.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been a vocal defender of the military campaign, but has not been deeply involved in the diplomatic talks to end it and is not the face of this agreement in the same way Vance is.
Some Republicans said Vance's Iran war portfolio has turned into a thankless assignment from a president long known for blaming his subordinates for unpopular policies.
"It's not in the president's nature to cede the limelight and he's done that here," said Matt Mackowiak, a Republican strategist. "That does feel like a deliberate choice."
A longtime Republican operative and critic of the president said Trump was pinning the deal on Vance.
"It's classic Trump to throw JD under the bus," the source, who asked not to be named, said.
It is certainly not a foregone conclusion that Vance's ties to the Iran war will backfire politically.
If the countries reach a final peace agreement that limits Iran's nuclear programme, Vance will have played a central role in achieving a longtime goal of the US and its allies in the Middle East.
But there is no guarantee the two sides will broker a final deal on various deeply technical issues over the next 60 days, or that a long-term agreement would satisfy critics at home and abroad.
"Vance being connected to the Iran war is one more way [that critics will] hold him accountable for Trumpism," said Terry Holt, a veteran Republican consultant.
The week of mixed messages on this deal illustrated Vance's challenge on Iran.
The administration announced that Iran had agreed to the memorandum of understanding on Sunday, but did not release details.
The lack of clarity sparked confusion about what was actually in the text of the deal. Vance then tried to clear up the confusion in several interviews.
He told CBS News on Monday that Iran "could have access" to a $300bn reconstruction fund if it abided by the terms of its deal with the US.
Hours later, Trump said in a social media post that reports of the US paying Iran as part of the $300bn fund were "Fake News" and told reporters "we're not putting up 10 cents".
When the text of the agreement was finally released by US officials, it included a provision committing the US to work "with regional partners to develop a definitive mutually agreed plan with at least USD $300 billion" for Iran's reconstruction.
On Iran's nuclear programme, Vance echoed Trump's assertion that the interim agreement was a significant first step toward stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
But the deal did not address the nuclear question in detail, leaving that to be settled in the next round of talks.
Throughout the week, Vance was also promoting his new book about his faith and conversion to Catholicism.
But even in those media appearances he could not escape the news of the day.
As he was sparring with Whoopi Goldberg on ABC's The View, Trump was meeting with world leaders at the G7 summit in the French resort town of Évian-les-Bains.
At his press conference on Wednesday, Trump reprised the joke he has made in recent months that he would blame Vance if the Iran deal fails.
Trump also appeared to downplay the significance of the memorandum of understanding, at one point questioning whether it was an important enough document for him to sign.
Then, soon afterwards, Trump signed a paper copy of the deal on camera during a lavish dinner with French President Emmaneul Macron at the Palace of Versailles - raising questions about why Vance would then need to stage a separate signing event of his own in Geneva.
A question that was answered later when the White House announced Vance would not be travelling there - at least for now as logistics for talks with Iran were not yet finalised.
With Trump still out of the country, Vance had continued defending the deal as his former colleagues in the Senate criticised it for giving up too much to Iran.
"Iran's nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future," Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said in a post on X.
Senate Armed Services chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi said on Thursday that the deal was "completely out of step with the president's goals".
Vance pointed to falling petrol prices at the press briefing on Thursday, arguing that the deal was already paying dividends to Americans.
He expressed confidence that it would continue to bear fruit so long as Iran made good on its promises and agreed to a final peace deal once the key issues have been negotiated.
"If they change their behaviour, big things are going to happen," Vance said. "If they don't, no skin off our backs. Either way, we win."
With Vance leading these negotiations, as Trump made clear, he will have a lot riding on a victory - or a defeat.
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