Vice President JD Vance departed Joint Base Andrews at 10:15 a.m. Friday aboard Air Force Two, bound for Islamabad to open direct negotiations with Iran over a nuclear deal and the future of the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump tapped Vance after two earlier rounds of talks led by Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff ended in renewed fighting, a senior U.S. official told Axios. Vance requested the assignment, the same official said, and Trump agreed on the condition that the vice president "get the deal that will end the war."
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in Islamabad and immediately posted on X that talks cannot start until Israel halts strikes in Lebanon and the United States releases frozen Iranian assets. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, traveling with Ghalibaf, told state broadcaster IRIB that "safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces," but only after the two demands are met.
While Vance told reporters he is "looking forward to the negotiation" and expects a "positive" outcome, Trump posted on Truth Social that "the Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards" and warned that U.S. Navy ships are being reloaded with "the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made." The president told the New York Post that a decision on renewed strikes will come within 24 hours if Iran refuses to reopen the strait fully.
At 7:53 p.m. ET Friday, the Orion capsule named Integrity will slam into Earth's atmosphere at 24,661 mph, subjecting astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen to 3.9 G's and temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit—half as hot as the surface of the sun. NASA expects a six-minute communications blackout as plasma engulfs the 16.5-foot heat shield, followed by a parachute descent to a splashdown 40 miles southwest of San Diego.
The USS John P. Murtha, carrying NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, four helicopters and six small boats, is stationed at the splashdown zone to hoist the $1 billion Orion spacecraft and its four occupants. Commander Reid Wiseman told Mission Control the crew stowed final items and is "ready for the fireball." Back in Islamabad, Pakistani police have closed a three-mile perimeter around the luxury hotel where Vance and Ghalibaf will meet Saturday, branding the talks "The Islamabad Talks" on digital billboards across the capital. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will mediate the sessions personally.
U.S. officials told Axios that any extension of the ceasefire depends on Vance returning with at least a partial agreement on Hormuz and a framework for nuclear limits. Iranian officials, speaking to France 24, warned they will walk if Lebanon fighting continues; Israel's military said Friday it killed more than 180 Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon in the past two days. For consumers, the stakes are concrete: farm diesel in Iowa has jumped from $1.89 to $4.17 a gallon since December, farmer Joe Dierickx told CBS, raising the cost of filling his 10,000-gallon tank from $18,000 to $41,000.
Vice President JD Vance departed Joint Base Andrews at 10:15 a.m. Friday aboard Air Force Two, bound for Islamabad to open direct negotiations with Iran over a nuclear deal and the future of the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump tapped Vance after two earlier rounds of talks led by Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff ended in renewed fighting, a senior U.S. official told Axios. Vance requested the assignment, the same official said, and Trump agreed on the condition that the vice president “get the deal that will end the war.”
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf landed in Islamabad two hours after Vance left Washington and immediately posted on X that talks cannot start until Israel halts strikes in Lebanon and the United States releases frozen Iranian assets. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, traveling with Ghalibaf, told state broadcaster IRIB that “safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces,” but only after the two demands are met. The Trump administration considered unfreezing $6 billion held in Qatar during February negotiations, though no funds have moved.
While Vance told reporters he is “looking forward to the negotiation” and expects a “positive” outcome, Trump posted on Truth Social that “the Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards” and warned that U.S. Navy ships are being reloaded with “the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made.” The president told the New York Post that a decision on renewed strikes will come within 24 hours if Iran refuses to reopen the strait fully. Oil flow through the chokepoint is running at 10 percent of normal, National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said Friday, helping push U.S. inflation to 3.3 percent last month.
At 7:53 p.m. ET Friday, the Orion capsule named Integrity will slam into Earth’s atmosphere at 24,661 mph, subjecting astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen to 3.9 G’s and temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit—half as hot as the surface of the sun. NASA expects a six-minute communications blackout as plasma engulfs the 16.5-foot heat shield, followed by a parachute descent to a splashdown 40 miles southwest of San Diego. The crew has traveled 694,481 miles since launching April 1, setting a new human distance record of 252,756 miles from Earth.
The USS John P. Murtha, carrying NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, four helicopters and six small boats, is stationed at the splashdown zone to hoist the $1 billion Orion spacecraft and its four occupants. Commander Reid Wiseman told Mission Control the crew stowed final items and is “ready for the fireball.” Back in Islamabad, Pakistani police have closed a three-mile perimeter around the luxury hotel where Vance and Ghalibaf will meet Saturday, branding the talks “The Islamabad Talks” on digital billboards across the capital. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will mediate the sessions personally.
The two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan expires Monday. U.S. officials told Axios that any extension depends on Vance returning with at least a partial agreement on Hormuz and a framework for nuclear limits. Iranian officials, speaking to France 24, warned they will walk if Lebanon fighting continues; Israel’s military said Friday it killed more than 180 Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon in the past two days. For consumers, the stakes are concrete: farm diesel in Iowa has jumped from $1.89 to $4.17 a gallon since December, farmer Joe Dierickx told CBS, raising the cost of filling his 10,000-gallon tank from $18,000 to $41,000.
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