Vance's Week: Iran Deal Fails, Key Ally Exits

U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance faced a double setback last week. His diplomatic mission to secure a deal with Iran failed. At the same time, a key American ally in Europe announced a surprise withdrawal from politics. Vance, 41, traveled to Pakistan for urgent talks with Iranian officials. The goal was to negotiate an end to a Middle East conflict that the Vice-President had long opposed. After a grueling 21-hour session, no agreement was reached. He appeared exhausted leaving Islamabad on Sunday. At a short press conference, Vance called the outcome "bad news." He took only three questions before departing for the United States. The diplomatic failure coincided with another blow. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a political ally, suddenly announced he would leave office. This removes a friendly European leader at a challenging time for U.S. foreign policy. The two events mark a difficult period for the Vice-President's international agenda.