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White House Orders FBI Review of Scientist Deaths as Pakistan Tries to Keep U.S.–Iran Talks Alive

Tehran’s silence on attending the Islamabad round prompted a delay to Vice President J.D. Vance’s trip.

Overview

  • White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said the administration has engaged the FBI and other agencies in a joint review to check for links among reported mysterious deaths and disappearances of high-level U.S. scientists.
  • News reports say several experts tied to space, nuclear, and aerospace work have died or gone missing since 2024, a pattern President Trump called possibly coincidental while stressing the cases are under review.
  • Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led a high-level meeting in Islamabad to press ahead with a planned second round of U.S.–Iran talks, as Pakistan’s interior minister briefed both countries’ ambassadors on security plans for the venue.
  • The White House postponed Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Pakistan after Iran did not confirm it would send a delegation, and officials said Vance will now join additional policy meetings in Washington.
  • Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said Tehran has not decided on sending a team and accused the United States of actions against two Iranian ships, a dispute that clouds prospects for talks as a short cease-fire window nears its end.