At the peace talks between the USA and Iran, there is a problem: J.D. Vance continues to be ignored by several diplomatic delegations.

So much so that the White House was forced to issue a press release stating that it is not true at all that Vance is being ignored.

JD Vance was in Switzerland on Sunday, June 21, for peace talks with Iran, alongside Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The day before, he had stated on Fox News: “There is no evidence that the Iranians are closing the Strait of Hormuz.” While he was speaking, Iran closed it. At the summit at Lake Lucerne, things did not go any better: cameras captured Vance being completely ignored by the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. In the video, Vance is seen standing there, stiff, waiting for the Sheikh to stop in front of him and shake his hand, but the Sheikh sees him, walks past without approaching, and goes to warmly greet Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. A rather embarrassing video also emerged, showing Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi embracing Sharif while Vance watches from a corner. The Iranian delegation, which had agreed to a photo session with the press, left the room as soon as they saw the number of journalists present and then released their version of the events through state media.

As reported by Yahoo News, the White House commented on the “Vance ignored” issue with a statement given to Daily Wire and the New York Post, a statement in which the idea that Vance was snubbed is called “a total absurdity.” “The U.S. delegation had just spent hours with the Qataris, and there was no need to greet someone again with whom you just spent hours,” said a U.S. administration official. It is a plausible explanation, but it is also the explanation one would give if the incident had really happened.

While Vance tried to maintain a constructive tone, with a “we hope to make progress on the nuclear issue and the ceasefire in Lebanon”, Trump was commenting on Fox News: “We could take control of the Strait if necessary. I will tear them to pieces”. Everything perfectly in line with the foreign policy of this U.S. administration: the negotiator on the ground trying to build trust and the President undermining that work live on television or posting on social media. Vance was in Switzerland shaking hands that Trump does not want to shake, mediating with interlocutors who ignored him, while the Strait he had just declared open was closing again. Meanwhile, Trump was threatening to bomb this and that, to tear apart here and to tear apart there. Vance said that the talks were a reason to be optimistic. It should be noted, however, that he said this before going to those talks.