![\"Ad-Vance](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130175621,imgsize-778331,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/jd-vance.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nTOI Correspondent from Washington: <\/span>US Vice President JD Vance is arriving in Pakistan on Saturday morning for what is being billed as a concerted diplomatic push to corral Iran and contain a widening conflict that has not gone according to Washington\u2019s script. With a number of US analysts characterising the Trump-and-Netanyahu-led war on Iran as militarily and tactically brilliant but strategically and diplomatically dumb, Vance is tasked with salvaging US gains from a war it has won while losing the peace as Tehran has dug in its heels despite being militarily pulverised. On the eve of his departure, the US veep struck a calibrated tone that blended caution with conditional engagement. \u201cIf the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.\u201d It was a formulation that reflected Vance\u2019s long-standing scepticism of war \u2013 important for his own political future \u2013 even as it signalled firmness in an attempt to walk the fine line between deterrence and diplomacy.President Trump, however, offered a characteristically cryptic framing, posting on social media that the unfolding situation represented the \u201cmost powerful reset in the world.\u201d The White House, seeking to impose coherence, added that Trump was \u201coptimistic that a deal can be reached that can lead to lasting peace in the Middle East,\u201d citing his \u201cproven track record\u201d of securing agreements that \u201cput America first.\u201dIran, however, has set preconditions that complicate the mission. The speaker of Iran\u2019s parliament has stated that Tehran will not begin negotiations in Pakistan unless two demands are met: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran\u2019s blocked financial assets, neither of which the US is ready to concede as yet. Even as diplomacy gathers pace, tensions remain high in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran\u2019s reported moves to demand payments from some transiting vessels\u2014widely seen as violating international maritime norms\u2014have spooked the world. Washington has demanded that such practices cease immediately, framing them as a threat to global commerce and freedom of navigation. Yet enforcement remains a complex question, particularly as the US seeks to avoid further military entanglement while maintaining credibility.Vance\u2019s central role in this mission is perhaps the most revealing aspect of the current moment. Traditionally, such high-stakes diplomacy would be led by the Secretary of State\u2014currently Marco Rubio. Instead, Trump has turned to his vice president, effectively sidelining the country\u2019s top diplomat. The move also contrasts sharply with the posture of defence secretary Pete Hegseth, whose advocacy of a \u201cwarrior ethos\u201d has shaped the administration\u2019s military response. Another sardonic comment coming from Washington\u2019s warmongering commentariat: \u201cTrump and Hegseth have won the war and are sending Vance to Pakistan to negotiate our terms of surrender.\u201dWhile exaggerated, such sentiments reflect a growing perception that the administration\u2019s military successes have not been converted into strategic gains\u2014and that Vance is being tasked with resolving a conflict whose political endgame remains unclear. Trump has repeatedly suggested that Washington is engaging with a more \u201creceptive\u201d faction within Iran\u2019s negotiating apparatus, hinting at possible cracks between pragmatists and hardliners. However, regional analysts see little evidence of such divisions, viewing the claim as wishful thinking\u2014or an attempt to sow discord within Iran\u2019s leadership.The political context surrounding Vance\u2019s mission is equally challenging. Public appetite for escalation is limited in the US, and anti-war sentiment is no longer confined to progressive circles. Within Trump\u2019s own MAGA base, a growing number of voices\u2014including influential commentators\u2014have expressed unease about the trajectory of the conflict, irking the President. This emerging scepticism has created an unusual convergence, with segments of both the right and left questioning the costs of continued engagement.Vance, who has consistently warned against \u201cforever wars,\u201d is uniquely positioned to channel this mood — and enhance his political future. His involvement also signals an acknowledgement by the White House that domestic political constraints are beginning to shape foreign policy decisions as much as battlefield dynamics.<\/div>\n\n