AP: JD Vance sought lead role in US-Iran talks

US Vice President JD Vance repeatedly asked President Donald Trump to let him lead negotiations with Iran in an effort to strengthen his political standing as a potential successor to the president, the Associated Press reports, citing White House sources.

According to the report, Trump initially declined Vance's request but later agreed, allowing the vice president to head US negotiations with Iran in Pakistan and Switzerland.

"It’s rather unusual for the VP to be given the lead role in a negotiation, but it’s quite possible that Rubio is happy to let him. It’s a pig in a poke. It’s a loser job," Ian Kelly, a former US ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe under President Barack Obama, told the AP.

The report said Vance was initially optimistic about the prospects of reaching an agreement with Iran, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio took a more cautious view.

According to the AP, Rubio declined to lead the US delegation to talks in Pakistan in April, partly because of those differences.

The agency's sources also said Vance and Rubio hold significantly different views on US foreign policy strategy in the Middle East.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov