Why send Vance to confront the Iranians for a second time?
According to U.S. sources, Vance remains the chief negotiator for the second round of talks with Iran, just as he was in the first.
This appointment comes as no surprise.
Since the first round, details of heated verbal exchanges in hotel rooms have kept surfacing—among them, Iranian Parliament Speaker Larijani revealing that he directly scolded Vance: “You have no credibility here whatsoever. The first thing you must do is rebuild trust.”
Trump knows the Iranians deeply dislike Vance, yet still sends him—there’s clearly a deeper strategy at play.
If we judge solely by whether a final agreement will be reached, it doesn’t really matter who goes, as long as the representative matches the level of Iran’s delegation.
During and after the first round, Vance’s tough stance was precisely the “standard performance” demanded by Trump, aligning perfectly with subsequent actions such as attacks on merchant ships and continued blockades—extreme pressure being an integral part of the “art of negotiation.”
The real purpose behind extreme pressure is to achieve a deal; otherwise, it would be meaningless.
If Trump were to replace Vance now, it would be interpreted as yielding to Iran, which could severely damage Vance’s political future.
Therefore, Vance’s second trip to Pakistan is 100% certain.
In case the negotiations collapse, Vance becomes Trump’s firewall.
At the same time, his presence allows the hardline stance to be maintained without compromise.
When everyone is deeply pessimistic, a sudden breakthrough occurs—and then Trump personally arrives at the negotiation site to sign off and finalize the deal.
Similarly, from Iran’s perspective, whose ultimate goal is securing a deal, it doesn’t matter who represents the U.S. Even if they must endure talking to Vance, they know deep down he is merely Trump’s tool.
The key isn’t Vance himself—he came bearing Trump’s orders.
As soon as signals emerge that Trump has begun his journey to Pakistan, one can be confident that success is already within reach.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863043360476169/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.