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.

By The Associated Press

US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be staking out differing approaches to carrying out President Donald Trump’s national security agenda as the possible 2028 presidential rivals jostle for position in a divided Republican Party.

With vastly different backgrounds and policy experience, they have moved along separate paths to stake out territory: Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants with a long history in the Senate and major interest in Latin America, and Vance, a child of the Midwest and Marine Corps veteran who served in the Senate for only two years before being tapped as Trump’s 2024 running mate, with a message of opposing foreign wars.

While deferential to each other — and with the White House and State Department denying any suggestion of a rift — Vance and Rubio appear the most divergent on the Middle East.

In discussing Iran, Vance has several times been critical of Israel and its actions in Lebanon, saying Trump has been frustrated by Israeli actions against the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah that have angered Iran and made negotiations with Tehran more difficult.

Rubio, meanwhile, has remained supportive of Israel or held his tongue, particularly over the situation in Lebanon — an issue he has taken the lead on and resulted in a preliminary framework agreement last week.

Vance and Rubio’s respective policies on Iran and Lebanon appear to sometimes be at odds, given that the memorandum of understanding that the vice president inked with Iran accepted Tehran’s demand for a ceasefire in Lebanon, after the secretary of state established a separate channel of negotiations between Jerusalem and Beirut specifically designed to box Tehran out of influencing developments in Lebanon.

Vance takes lead on Iran negotiations and Rubio on Lebanon

“The talk about differences is not idle speculation,” said Dan Fried, a former assistant secretary of state and ambassador to Poland who is now with the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. “There is definitely something to it.”

The White House fired back at any suggestions of a rift.

“Why is the legacy media obsessed with driving a wedge between Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio that does not exist? There is one camp — President Trump’s camp — and the entire administration is fully behind the president’s efforts to ensure Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott added that “Rubio and the entire administration is 100% in lockstep behind President Trump.”

Similar denials were issued during former president Joe Biden’s administration when reports came out of vice president Kamala Harris’s disapproval of the level of White House support for Israel during the Gaza war. Harris would later confirm those reports after leaving office.

According to Trump administration officials familiar with the matter, Rubio was so skeptical of obtaining an acceptable deal with Iran that he declined to head the US delegation to the first ceasefire negotiations in April in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Vance, however, seeing an opportunity to burnish his foreign policy credentials, jumped on it, asking Trump twice to take the lead before Trump agreed, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations.

Vance did lead the US delegation to the inconclusive meeting in Pakistan, then again this month to talks in Switzerland, which followed the signing of an MOU between the US and Iran. The truce agreed to in that document is very fragile, tested by repeated exchanges of fire between the sides in recent days.

“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,” said Ian Kelly, a retired career diplomat and ambassador during the first Trump administration.

He added that both men seem to “have equal ambitions to replace” Trump, but that the president’s semi-joking comments this month that he would blame Vance if the Iran talks do not succeed appeared to suggest that he was being “set up for failure.”

Vance and Rubio deny any division between them

Vance has talked up the chances of success for a broad agreement with Iran, albeit with caveats, while Rubio, although publicly supportive, has repeatedly taken a more agnostic line while denying any division.

“We’re all focused on the jobs in front of us. I think the president loves to stir the pot a little bit and loves the entertainment of it,” Vance said.

“I love Marco,” he said. “I think he’s a great secretary of state. He’s become a very, very dear friend. I think both of us are very much focused on accomplishing the American people’s business right now.”

Rubio also has rejected that there is any schism.

“When it comes to foreign policy and national security, we have no drama. We have no games,” Rubio told reporters last week during a trip to Bahrain, the last of a three-nation tour of the Arab Gulf countries that have been most directly affected by the Iran war.

“We have a group of people that work very well together and closely to execute on the president’s directives, which is why I think we’ve had good outcomes and good achievements, and we’re going to continue to have good outcomes and good achievements,” Rubio said. “Everyone has an important role to play, and everyone is playing that role and doing it in a collaborative process.”

That has not stopped Trump from fanning the flames of potential rivalry, repeatedly asking crowds of supporters who they would prefer to succeed him and suggesting at one point they might be an unbeatable ticket.

There is little doubt that the men do not share the same worldview, however.

“Rubio speaks within the rubric of the Ronald Reagan construct of the free world and its importance,” Fried said. “Vance is not interested in the free-world construct. He speaks in the language of not wanting to fight what he believes are abstractions.”

Fried said it is impossible to predict how that would translate into policy but warned that “we’re headed toward a bad place in Iran, which is giving up any support for Iranian civil society and not being terribly good at containing Iran.”

“Instead, we seem to be allowing ourselves to be backed into a ‘sphere of influence’ situation where Iran is weaker but ends up better off than before. I can’t imagine Rubio agreeing to that,” Fried said.

Aides to Rubio point out that he has said several times he would defer to the vice president should Vance choose to run for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.

At the same time, Rubio has used his dual perch as Trump’s top diplomat and national security adviser to make over the National Security Council, installing several close allies in top White House positions in recent weeks.

Those include his former State Department counselor, Mike Needham, who is now deputy national security adviser.

Also, Jeremy Lewin, who oversaw the dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development for Rubio and took charge of foreign assistance last year, is soon to join the NSC as a deputy for the Western Hemisphere. The head of NSC communications, Dylan Johnson, also serves as assistant secretary of state for public affairs.

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The contradiction raised fresh questions about the true state of negotiations and the degree of consensus between the parties.

By JFeed

Conflicting signals emerged Saturday over the timeline for a U.S.-Iran deal, as Pakistan and Iran offered sharply contradictory accounts of what is set to happen Sunday.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry told Al Jazeera that a signing ceremony for the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding is expected Sunday, to be held virtually with participants joining remotely from Islamabad.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry, however, said no signing ceremony is planned for Sunday and clarified that no Iranian delegation is set to travel to Geneva or anywhere else in the coming days.

The contradiction raised fresh questions about the true state of negotiations and the degree of consensus between the parties.

Iran also introduced a new potential sticking point Saturday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei telling the Iranian Fars news agency that Tehran intends to collect payment for services it provides in the Strait of Hormuz under the terms of any agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed that position, declaring that “these services will no longer be free” and saying Iran and Oman are expected to announce a new mechanism for managing traffic in the strait.

Washington has firmly opposed any toll or fee on vessels transiting the strategic waterway, which under international law must remain freely navigable. Iran appeared to reframe the demand as payment for “services” rather than a transit fee, though the practical distinction remained unclear.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry statement Saturday also listed the release of Iran’s frozen assets as “an inseparable part of the agreement,” and called for an end to foreign military bases and military presence in the region.

The statement added that Iran “will take steps for safe conduct in Hormuz, in accordance with the protection of Iran’s national security and the general interest of the international community.”

Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a firm statement saying he and President Donald Trump are in full agreement that Iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon.

“As long as I am prime minister of Israel, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Netanyahu said. “There is full agreement between me and President Trump on this matter.”

Netanyahu added that he has spent more than 30 years leading the international fight against Iran’s nuclear program, and that Iran seeks to destroy the Jewish state. “As long as I am prime minister of Israel, this will not happen,” he said.

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Katz stated that Israel must ensure its independence to act against Iran in the future.

By JNS

Israel expects President Donald Trump to uphold the objective of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons in the looming memorandum of understanding to end the conflict with Tehran, Defense Minister Israel Katz tweeted on Friday.

He added that Iran’s ballistic missiles program and its funding of terrorist proxies across the Middle East are two subjects also expected to be included in the advanced-stage negotiations.

Katz stated that Israel must ensure its independence to act against Iran in the future, and that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for this scenario.

He vowed that Israeli forces will not withdraw from the the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.

“The IDF will continue to defend our borders and our citizens from the peak of Mount Hermon, the mountains of Lebanon, the areas of our land in the Samaria region, and most of the territory of Gaza—against the threats posed by jihadist forces and organizations, as a central lesson from the Hamas-led massacre in Israel’s northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023,” Katz wrote.

Katz noted that the “terrorist camps in northern Samaria” have been evacuated of residents, and “if necessary,” operations will expand to additional camps in the area—likely referring to Palestinian “refugee” camps in Jenin, Tulkarem, Nur Shams, and Far’a, whose residents were evacuated during “Operation Iron Wall” in the start of 2025.

“Our security doctrine is sharp and clear: We act against both near and distant threats and strive for decisive outcomes rather than compromises and concessions,” the defense minister stressed.

“Much is at stake in this period, and we are determined to continue leading a firm security policy that will prevent harm to our security achievements and will not endanger our ability to fight against the Shi’ite axis of evil led by Iran and the Sunni axis of evil led by the Muslim Brotherhood,” Katz continued.

The minister expressed his gratitude to the IDF soldiers and to the residents of Israel’s north, along the border with Lebanon, which has been bombarded by Hezbollah for long periods since the start of the war in 2023.

He moreover embraced the bereaved families who have lost loved ones during the war and wished a speedy recovery to all the wounded, “in body and soul, who have devoted themselves to defending Jewish lives and the security of the State of Israel.”

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Trump pledged that the Iranians will “no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement.”

By JNS

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a memorandum of understanding with Iran is “scheduled to get signed tomorrow,” followed by an immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Writing on Truth Social, the president continued, “We look forward to working with Iran, and the entire Middle East, long into the future. Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly. If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again!”

Trump contrasted the agreement with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action forged by President Barack Obama in 2015.

“The JCPOA, was an easy, beautiful, smooth road to a Nuclear Weapon… My Agreement with Iran is the exact opposite, A WALL TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON!” the president wrote.

Trump pledged that the Iranians will “no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement.”

He added that Tehran will not receive any funds upfront—“Unlike Obama’s Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in payments to them, including 1.7 Billion Dollars in green, cold cash.”

As for the enriched uranium, the president said that the U.S. will “downblend and destroy it,” either in Iran or in the United States, “at the appropriate time.”

Earlier in the day, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the U.S. and Iran are “closer to a peace deal than ever before,” with the finalization of the memorandum expected in the next 24 hours.

Shehbaz added that Islamabad is “preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately thereafter, followed by technical level talks next week.”

We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalisation likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week.

We would like to thank United States of…

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 13, 2026

Trump shared the prime minister’s post on Truth Social, without commenting on its content.

An agreement between Washington and Tehran has been in the works for several weeks, despite the resumption of skirmishes earlier in the week.

However, previous statements by officials that an agreement to end the conflict was imminent turned out to be premature.

In a statement apparently responding to Shehbaz’s comments, Iran’s Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that the signing of the memorandum will not take place on Sunday, according to Reuters.

Although the sealing of the agreement in the coming days could not ⁠be ruled out, caution was needed regarding any ⁠comment on the signing date due to the ⁠hesitation of the other side, the report cited Baghaei as adding.

Details of the memorandum have not been made public, although reports say that it lays down the framework for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with discussions on Tehran’s nuclear project to take place at a later stage of negotiations.

Vice President JD Vance denied Iranian media reports that the United States had agreed to immediately unlock billions of dollars for Iran if it signed an agreement.

“First, the Iranians are not receiving any cash, and no funds are being released for simply signing a deal or attending a meeting,” he wrote. “The deal is structured to ensure that the U.S. and its allies’ concerns are prioritized, and that if the Islamic Republic of Iran meets its obligations, then economic benefits will flow to them and to the entire region.”

Shehbaz likewise said there was an “incessant misinformation campaign being waged by those who want to sabotage the peace deal.”

Pakistan has served as a mediator between Iran and the United States, hosting talks in April.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran fired multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Central Command said on X.

All drones were intercepted, leaving the traffic flow through the waterway unaffected, CENTCOM added.

Iran launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces have downed all of them in recent hours as traffic flow through the strait continues unimpeded. The international trade corridor remains open for…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 13, 2026

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday again vowed that Iran will not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons on his watch, as Iranian media reported that Tehran will insist on its right to enrich uranium in emerging talks with the United States.

“As long as I am the prime minister of Israel, Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, adding that he and U.S. President Donald Trump “are in full agreement on this issue.”

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