JD Vance’s push for diplomacy got off to an awkward start when he appeared to be snubbed by a fellow summit attendee in Switzerland.
Vance, 41, was joined by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for the negotiations at the Lake Lucerne Summit with Iran on Sunday, mediated by Pakistan and attended by the interested party, Qatar.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani kicked off Vance’s awkward day by appearing to walk right past him upon arrival.
With the vice president positioned at the front of the receiving line, Sheikh Mohammed appeared to pass him over entirely, instead greeting the Iranian and Pakistani diplomats with hugs and kisses.
A video appears to show Vance reaching out to get Sheikh Mohammed’s attention, only to receive what looked like a brief acknowledgment before the Qatari leader turned away.
Iran’s delegation appeared similarly unmoved by Vance, even as the vice president praised the summit’s developments as “historic.”
While the U.S. trio and Qatari ministers spoke to the press following the meeting, Axios reports that Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was in the room, but opted not to join statements or stand for a photo with Vance.
Vance’s less-than-glowing reception followed a major diplomatic error of his own just the day before the summit.
When asked about the Strait of Hormuz on Fox News, Vance answered: “No, we’re not seeing any evidence that the Iranians are still closing down the Strait of Hormuz. It is going to take some time to clear those mines, though.”
At the same time as Vance was on air, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy pulled the rug out from under him by deciding to put a firm closure on the Strait once more.
Similarly, Trump himself undercut Vance’s message at the summit. While the vice president waxed lyrical about diplomacy as the path to peace in Iran, the president struck a far more bellicose tone.
Trump spent his Father’s Day morning hurling bloodthirsty threats at the country Vance was sent to negotiate with.
“We may take over the Strait if we have to. I’ll blow the s--t out of them,” he told Fox News during an irate phone call in which the network surmised he was “irritated” at the lack of progress.
