Trump rocked by Iran collapse as pressure mounts to overhaul team: analysis

President Donald Trump has been urged to change tactics in how he is dealing with Iranian officials looking to end the war.

The Trump administration's attempts to broker peace with Iran have ended in complete failure, with Vice President JD Vance announcing the collapse of negotiations on April 12, 2026.

Political analyst Sabrina Haake suggested the administration must look to more qualified personnel when brokering peace with the Middle Eastern country. Writing in her Substack, Haake suggested drafting new experts and negotiators to speak with Iran.

She wrote, "To resolve the highly complex quagmire he created, Trump needs negotiators steeped in Iran’s history, geography, culture, and technological capacities.

"But he’s relying on loyalists: VP Vance, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, all of whom lack the expertise and diplomatic experience needed to achieve an agreement. Two diplomats from the failed negotiations immediately identified Trump’s problem: choosing negotiators for personal loyalty instead of subject-matter expertise."

Foreign policy expert Karim Sadjadpour suggested Trump had thrown Vice President JD Vance under the bus with failed peace talks between the US and Iran.

He wrote, "When toppling the Iranian regime appeared within reach to him, Trump wanted the credit; now, sensing the war’s unpopularity, he is content to let Vance own the outcome."

Trump has also prematurely declared victory over Iran, which the Preparedness and Politics Substack has suggested will make it harder to actually broker peace. They wrote, "For shipping markets and insurance underwriters, the political contradiction is itself risk.

"When the US president publicly declares victory while ten thousand US personnel actively enforce a blockade that the other party calls illegal and threatens to retaliate against, the contradiction is a reason to keep rates high.

"If Iran reneges on the opening — as the April 7-8 pattern suggests is entirely possible — lifting the blockade in response becomes harder, not easier, because Trump has already claimed the situation is resolved."