Double defeat for Vance as failed Iran talks and Orban’s exit bruise US vice-president

AdvertisementUnited StatesWorldUnited States & CanadaDouble defeat for Vance as failed Iran talks and Orban’s exit bruise US vice-presidentJ.D. Vance returns to Washington empty-handed after a diplomatic tour that saw the fall of a key European ally and a stalemate in Islamabad 2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenAgence France-PressePublished: 11:33am, 14 Apr 2026J.D. Vance had two jobs last week: get an Iran deal and keep Hungary’s Viktor Orban in power. Neither happened for the US vice-president. The 41-year-old Vance looked exhausted as he left Pakistan on Sunday after 21 hours that failed to produce an agreement with Tehran to end a war he had never wanted to begin with. At a terse press conference in Islamabad, Vance delivered the “bad news” and took just three questions before getting on a plane for the long flight back home. AdvertisementBut just before landing there was more bad news. Days after he rallied with Orban on stage in Budapest, the long-serving Hungarian prime minister had conceded defeat in elections despite an all-out effort by Donald Trump’s administration to save him. AdvertisementIt was a double reality check for the ambitious Vance, who is widely tipped as a front-runner in the race to being named heir to Trump in the 2028 US presidential election. AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x