Iranian officials and state media touted what they described as a diplomatic slight against Vice President JD Vance on Sunday, claiming Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi deliberately avoided participating in a public photo opportunity ahead of sensitive negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

Video from the gathering showed Araqchi entering the room where Vance, members of the American delegation, and international mediators were assembled before cameras. Moments later, footage captured him departing after greeting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with an embrace.

During the encounter, Vance remained positioned off to the side of the room.

Iranian state media further asserted that Tehran’s delegation refused to take part in any joint media event before the talks began, a characterization that U.S. officials strongly disputed.

“Iranian representatives previously agreed to a press availability at the beginning of the meeting,” a US official explained to The NY Post.

“They even brought state media with them to cover it, who were pre-staged at the event. Despite this, they left the meeting upon seeing the volume of press in attendance and then distributed an inaccurate account of the situation through state media.”

As debate over the incident spread online, critics of Vance seized on another moment that occurred before the negotiations commenced.

Just before discussions began, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani walked past Vance and greeted Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

Progressive commentators on social media portrayed the exchange as another rebuff directed at the vice president. U.S. officials, however, dismissed that interpretation, noting that Vance had already spent significant time meeting privately with Al Thani earlier in the day.

“This is complete nonsense,” the official explained. “The US delegation had just spent hours with the Qataris and there was no need to re-greet someone having just spent hours with.

“The decision to give statements together before meeting was done impromptu, which is why it wasn’t a staged greeting.”

Some conservative voices also pushed back against the narrative. Among them was Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to President Trump, who argued that a coordinated online effort was attempting to create the impression of diplomatic friction where none existed.

“Bots, ‘influencers,’ and pundits are in lockstep pushing a coordinated lie claiming that Vice President … and the U.S. delegation were snubbed in Switzerland,” he argued. “This is pure BS! The op is so obvious.”

At the same time, Iranian state media reported that Tehran’s negotiators exited the talks roughly 80 minutes after they began, citing a “difficult phase” in discussions that allegedly followed President Trump’s sharp threats against the regime.

American officials rejected suggestions that the negotiations had collapsed and insisted the diplomatic engagement continued throughout the evening.

“The Iranians never left and are still here meeting and negotiating deep into the night,” the official insisted.

“We’ve talked about the Strait, Lebanon, nuclear issues, and details of implementing the MOU, among other topics. President Trump works all hours of the day and night, and our delegation is taking the same approach.”

Sunday marked the opening day of negotiations between the United States and Iran under the framework of the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed last week. Under the agreement, both sides committed to extending the ceasefire for an additional 60 days.

Despite that framework, major disputes remain unresolved, including the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and the broader implementation of the agreement’s provisions.

{Matzav.com}