Vice President JD Vance was the subject of heavy chatter on the Internet, inspired by a moment where Iranian negotiators visibly didn’t acknowledge him.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran to end their months-long war are ongoing and full of tension, highlighted by a moment where Vice President JD Vance appeared to be deliberately shunned by negotiators on camera.
The viral video from Emirati political analyst Amjad Taha shows Vance present at the negotiations being held at Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, awaiting other negotiators and dignitaries as they enter the room. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani enters, walking past Vance to warmly greet Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Vance then tries to get Al Thani’s attention, at which the Qatari dignitary seemed slightly confused. Adding to the apparent humiliation, the Iranian delegation reportedly entered the room last and refused to even shake hands with Vance and the rest of the American delegation.
“This was humiliation. No one in modern history has made America wait and beg for negotiations. This was the moment JD Vance should have returned to Washington. The Islamic regime did this on purpose,” Taha wrote in the original post on X, formerly Twitter, of the clip.
The United States has been lobbying for an end to the conflict with Iran within the past two weeks, a conflict initiated by the Trump administration in conjunction with Israel against Iran on Feb. 28. Since then, Iran has held firm, closing the Strait of Hormuz, which has led to serious instability with regard to the global economy and resources.
Trump has vacillated between declaring that there is a deal for a ceasefire and threatening Iran in several posts on his Truth Social media platform. Taha claimed that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi refused to shake hands upon arrival, undoubtedly still angry that Israel’s military forces are still occupying areas of southern Lebanon – which Iran has demanded not occur as part of any talks moving forward.
Other observers noted the moment as a sign of how far America’s stature in the world has fallen. In another post on X, formerly Twitter, political analyst Ron Filipkowski stated, “The US has never looked smaller or weaker on the world stage.”
