Vance Trip for Iran Peace Talks Delayed, Summoned to White House
Vice President JD Vance was summoned back to the White House on Tuesday, delaying his planned trip to lead U.S. negotiations with Iran in Islamabad amid uncertainty over Tehran’s participation in the talks.
Vance was scheduled to board a plane and head a U.S. negotiating team in Pakistan’s capital but was unexpectedly called back for policy meetings at the White House. CNN’s Alayna Treene reported that the trip’s status remains unclear, with officials unsure whether it will proceed at all.
“We don’t know if this trip is definitely off,” Treene told anchors Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown. “All we do know is that it is definitely delayed and that we should expect to see now the vice president at the White House for meetings today, not leaving this morning on that plane as we had previously reported.”
Earlier Failed Negotiations
Vance led a similar mission to Islamabad earlier this month alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner. The talks ended without agreement after Iran refused to commit to abandoning its nuclear weapons program, which the U.S. had sought as a central condition.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” Vance said following those talks. “And I think that’s bad news for Iran, much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America.”
Current Blockade and Ceasefire Status
The U.S. military has increased pressure on Iran by blocking maritime traffic in the region. U.S. Central Command reported on Tuesday that American forces have directed 28 ships to turn around or return to port.
A two-week ceasefire between the U.S., Israel, and Iran is set to expire Wednesday, with President Trump signaling he does not intend to extend it. “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” Trump told CNBC, adding that Iran could improve its position through negotiations.
Iran’s Uncertain Response
As of Tuesday evening, Pakistani officials said they were still awaiting formal confirmation from Iran that it would send a delegation to the Islamabad talks. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that mediators remained “in constant touch” with Iranian officials about the “critical” negotiations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticized the U.S. approach on social media, writing that American understanding of Iran’s position was “even lower than Trump’s level of understanding and comprehension.”
Diplomatic Efforts Continue
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker met with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday to discuss ongoing diplomatic efforts. Dar stressed that dialogue and diplomacy were the only viable paths to regional peace and urged both the U.S. and Iran to extend the ceasefire and pursue negotiations.
This story has been updated. CNN’s Alayna Treene contributed to this report.
m1 Three faint knocks from inside a coffin exposed a secret that was only minutes away from being buried forever.
Three faint knocks from inside a coffin exposed a secret that was only minutes away from being buried forever.
Twelve-year-old Ethan Parker was never supposed to be alone with his mother’s casket.
But before the funeral began, he slipped away from the adults and entered the brightly lit chapel, where Claire Parker’s white coffin rested beneath towering arrangements of fresh flowers.
The room was silent.
Ethan walked slowly toward the casket.
He placed one trembling hand on the polished lid.
“I’m sorry I never got to say goodbye, Mom.”
Then—
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Ethan stopped breathing.
Three knocks.
He knew that rhythm.
When he was younger, Claire used to tap three times on his bedroom door every single night before bed.
Three taps meant only one thing:
I love you.
Ethan pressed his ear against the coffin.
“Mom?”
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
Thud.
A weak sound came from inside.
Ethan stumbled backward, his heart pounding.
Then he ran.
He found his stepfather, Richard, and told him what he had heard.
But Richard didn’t rush to the coffin.
He didn’t call for help.
He didn’t even look surprised.
He simply stared at Ethan and said quietly,
“Don’t ever say that again.”
That was when Ethan knew something was wrong.
So he found a hammer.
Minutes later, as the funeral began and guests gathered to say their final goodbyes, Ethan suddenly charged toward the coffin.
Richard’s face changed instantly.
“STOP HIM!”
Ethan raised the hammer and swung with everything he had.
CRACK!
The sound echoed through the chapel.
Guests screamed.
Richard rushed forward.
But Ethan swung again.
CRACK!
The white wooden lid split.
A narrow opening appeared between the shattered pieces.
Then a woman standing near the front suddenly pointed toward the coffin.
Her face drained of color.
“Oh my God…”
Something inside was moving.
Richard froze.
Then, without warning, he pulled out a handgun.
“EVERYONE STEP BACK!”
The entire room went silent.
But Ethan didn’t move away.
He stepped closer to the broken opening.
And looked inside.
A face stared back at him.
His mother.
Claire was alive.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Silver duct tape covered her mouth.
Her terrified eyes locked onto Ethan’s through the broken coffin lid.
She had been trapped inside the entire time.
Alive.
While dozens of people stood only feet away, preparing to mourn her.
Richard—the man who had told everyone Claire Parker was dead—was now holding a gun and trying to keep anyone from reaching her.
Only minutes earlier, Ethan had believed he was attending his mother’s funeral.
Now he understood the horrifying truth.
This had never really been a funeral.
It was the final stage of a plan.
A plan designed to make a living woman vanish forever.
And if Ethan hadn’t recognized those three tiny knocks…
Claire Parker might have disappeared beneath the ground without anyone ever knowing she was still alive.
PART 2 IS IN THE FIRST COMMENT 👇
