While speaking with reporters in Bahrain Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on the notion that Vice President JD Vance is “overshadowing” him in the ongoing peace discussions with Iran.
Rubio was asked whether he was seeking a more “direct” role in the negotiations as opposed to Vice President Vance. Rubio immediately rejected the framing of the question, saying, “That’s just a silly analysis. I’m here, I’ve been here for three days.”
He went on to reiterate that both he, Vance and other administration officials are working towards the same goals. “The vice president is the second ranking person in our government. It just shows you how seriously we take that endeavor. And we have a team of people that do work,” he added.
“We all have a role to play in this regard. I think that’s a really silly question. The vice president of the United States, other than the president, is the second most powerful person in our government,” the secretary went on. “The fact that he’s directly involved in this tells you the importance that our administration is given to this topic. So I think it’s a very positive thing that he’s involved in it.”
Rubio’s remarks occur occurred amid ongoing U.S. diplomatic engagement with Iran that stems from an interim understanding reached earlier. Under that framework, technical and high-level discussions have addressed elements such as Iran’s nuclear program, mechanisms for regional de-escalation, and arrangements related to maritime transit routes including the Strait of Hormuz.
Vice President Vance participated in high-level talks with Iranian officials and mediators from Qatar and Pakistan at the Bürgenstock Resort in Switzerland last weekend.
Following those meetings, Vance described the discussions as having produced a roadmap for reaching a final agreement within 60 days. He reported specific points of progress, including an understanding on the return of international nuclear inspectors to Iranian sites and the establishment of coordination mechanisms for issues such as Lebanon-related de-escalation.
Both sides characterized the Switzerland talks in positive terms, noting substantial progress toward more detailed follow-on negotiations aimed at a broader set of understandings.
Separately, Secretary Rubio has conducted meetings with officials in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as part of regional diplomacy tied to developments involving Iran. These engagements form one element of the administration’s overall approach, which incorporates contributions from multiple senior officials according to their respective positions.
