STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
This weekend's negotiations to end the war with Iran puts some pressure on Vice President JD Vance.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Yeah. Vance is leading the U.S. team that will meet for talks in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It's a big role for an Iraq war veteran whose political brand included opposition to American wars in the Middle East. His task now is to bring together two countries that have been enemies for almost half a century. Coming up, we'll discuss all this with Nicholas Burns, who was once the lead U.S. negotiator on Iran's nuclear program and U.S. ambassador to NATO in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. First, let's get a preview of the negotiations.
INSKEEP: NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben is covering this story. Danielle, good morning.
DANIELLE KURTZLEBEN, BYLINE: Hey. Good morning.
INSKEEP: Why would the White House send JD Vance to negotiate?
KURTZLEBEN: Well, you know, he's been asked how he got pulled into all these negotiations and specifically if those previous noninterventionist statements you all mentioned - if those might be a reason why he's been involved. And he's also been asked if Iranians requested that he be in negotiations. Vance responded to all that by demurring, saying he'd be surprised if that's true. He really tried to downplay his role here, saying that he just thought he could make a difference, that that's why he's there. But it has been reported that Vance was initially, within this administration, a loud voice against this war. So there's some logic to him playing a part in trying to end it. Not to mention that if he wants to run for, say, the presidency in 2028, he'd probably like to be able to say he helped end a conflict that a lot of people disliked. But all of that said, Trump laid out a sort of classic vice presidential trap last week at an Easter breakfast. Here's what he had to say about peace negotiations.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: So if it doesn't happen, I'm blaming JD Vance. If it does happen, I'm taking full credit.
(LAUGHTER)
KURTZLEBEN: You know, it sounds jokey, but Trump does love claiming a win, and he doesn't like taking responsibility for losses.
INSKEEP: What is going to make it tough for Vance to get to a win here?
KURTZLEBEN: Well, he's trying to broker a permanent peace between parties that don't even agree on what the current ceasefire is. For example, a big goal is to make sure the Strait of Hormuz is open, but that strait doesn't appear to be fully open right now, even after the ceasefire. And where things stand there has been really unclear. Trump this week even floated the idea of the U.S. and Iran together charging fees for ships to pass through, though he didn't explain any further how that would work. And that said, though, yesterday, on social media, Trump posted that Iran better not be - his words - charging tankers right now to pass through. But besides the strait, there's enriched uranium. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said it's a redline that Iran turn that over. But that's after President Trump has waffled on that issue. Last week, he said in an interview that he doesn't even care about the uranium. And again here, Trump has floated the idea of cooperating. On social media this week, he suggested the U.S. and Iran dig up uranium together.
INSKEEP: OK. So how do you think Vance is likely to take up that challenge?
KURTZLEBEN: Well, we don't have a track record to look at. Prior to being the VP, Vance was a senator from Ohio and only for two years, so he doesn't have a lot of international experience. But he's been less than diplomatic in the lead-up to these negotiations - we can say that - because when asked about accusations from the speaker of Iran's parliament that the U.S. had violated points of the ceasefire this week, Vance had this to say about that speaker.
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JD VANCE: I actually wonder how good he is at understanding English because there are things that he said that, frankly, didn't make sense in some - in the context of the negotiations that we've had.
KURTZLEBEN: Now, that doesn't mean Vice President Vance will be disagreeable or anything at the negotiating table. But it does show that, like his boss, he can be harsh.
INSKEEP: NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben. Thanks so much for the insights - really appreciate it.
KURTZLEBEN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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