President Donald Trump huddled with his national security team Tuesday afternoon at the White House facing a major decision: what to do next with Iran.
His ceasefire deadline was nearing its end, and Air Force Two was sitting on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews ahead of Vice President JD Vance’s scheduled departure to Pakistan for the next round of talks. But the administration was dealing with a conundrum: virtual silence from the Iranians.
In the days prior, the US had sent Iran a list of broad deal points that they wanted the Iranians to agree to in advance of the next round of talks. But days had gone by without the US getting a response, raising suspicions about how much Vance and others could achieve by heading to Pakistan for planned in-person talks, according to three officials familiar with the matter.
As Trump met with Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe at the White House Tuesday, the administration had still heard nothing from the Iranians. Officials had urged the top mediator from Pakistan, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to get at least some kind of response before Vance boarded Air Force Two.
Still, hours later, there was nothing.
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