Vance: Iran ceasefire fragile but achievable with good faith
Could a two-week pause at sea avert a wider conflict? The Iran ceasefire announced this week is fragile, Vice President JD Vance warned, but he said the truce could hold if Tehran negotiates in good faith. Vance made his remarks at a conference in Hungary on Wednesday and stressed President Donald Trump would not hesitate to use drastic measures if the agreement falters. “This is why I say this is a fragile truce,” Vance said.
Vance pushed back against what he described as bad-faith actors on both sides. “You have people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal and then you have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we’ve already struck,” he said. “If the Iranians are willing in good faith to work with us, I think we can make an agreement,” Vance continued. “If they’re going to lie, if they’re going to cheat, if they’re going to try to prevent even the fragile truce that we’ve set up from taking place, that they’re not going to be happy.”
U.S. officials have repeatedly pointed to multiple levers beyond military options. “What the president has also shown is that we still have clear military, diplomatic and, maybe most importantly, we have extraordinary economic leverage,” he added. “So the President has told us not to use those tools. He’s told us to come to the negotiating table. But if the Iranians don’t do the exact same thing, they’re going to find out that the president of the United States is not one to mess around. He’s impatient. He’s impatient to make progress.” U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Budapest, on April 8, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst – Pool/US News Hub Misryoum)
News of the Iran ceasefire arrived Tuesday night, barely an hour before Trump’s 8 p.m. ET deadline, at which the president had threatened to begin targeting Iranian energy infrastructure. The postponement carried a clear condition: the president said it depended on Iran agreeing to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.” President Donald Trump speaks from the Cross Hall of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Brandon-Pool/US News Hub Misryoum)
Diplomats now face a tight verification window to prove the strait is truly open and secure; timely, transparent steps will be essential to keep momentum.
Administration officials said they also received a 10-point proposal from Iran for a broader peace deal, and the negotiators “believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.” The Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a statement, thanked Pakistani mediators for their “tireless efforts” to end the war in the region and agreed to cease defensive operations if attacks against Iran are halted. For a period of two weeks, Iran said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz “will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces” and with “due consideration of technical limitations.”
The diplomatic choreography extended to Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote in a statement the ceasefire will apply “everywhere,” including Lebanon, effective immediately. “I warmly welcome the sagacious gesture and extend deepest gratitude to the leadership of both the countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes,” Sharif said. “Both parties have displayed remarkable wisdom and understanding and have remained constructively engaged in furthering the cause of peace and stability. We earnestly hope, that the ‘Islamabad Talks’ succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in coming days!”
Further talks between the U.S. and Iran are set to begin on Friday. US News Hub Misryoum’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with US News Hub Misryoum covering national politics and major breaking news events.