Michael Gabriel Hernandez
08 April 2026•Update: 08 April 2026
Vice President JD Vance will lead a US delegation heading to Pakistani capital Islamabad, for negotiations with Iran this weekend, the White House said on Wednesday.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner will also be part of the American negotiating team, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
"The first round of those talks will take place on Saturday morning, local time, and we know we look forward to those in-person meetings," Leavitt said.
The White House maintained that the US expects Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for ship-bound traffic during the two-week cease-fire agreed to Tuesday evening.
That agreement was based on a "modified" proposal that Iran put forward on Tuesday, which Leavitt said was "a workable basis on which to negotiate and align it with our own 15-point proposal."
She maintained that the nascent truce "is subject to the safe reopening of the strait," but said that the US expects that at the end of the halt of hostilities "we'll have a good agreement between the United States and Iran."
"The President will only make a deal that serves in the best interests of the United States of America, and his negotiating team will focus on this effort over the next two weeks so long as the Strait of Hormuz remains open with no limitations or delays," Leavitt said.
The spokesperson reiterated earlier statements from the Pentagon emphasizing that US troops will not be withdrawn during the truce "to ensure that our military is always at the ready" should Trump decide to resume attacks on Iran.
The US president is slated to meet later on Wednesday afternoon with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House.
The meeting comes after Trump strongly criticized the transatlantic alliance for its members' refusal to join his war on Iran and, in some cases, their refusal to allow US forces to use bases on their territory for the effort.
Asked if Trump will attempt to withdraw the US from NATO, Leavitt said the matter would be discussed during the closed-door meeting with Rutte.
"It's something the president has discussed, and I think it's something the president will be discussing in a couple of hours with Secretary General Rutte, and perhaps you'll hear directly from the president following that meeting later this afternoon," she said.
