Day: April 19, 2026

US President Donald Trump heads toward the White House after getting back to Washington, DC on Friday. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s approval rating is at 37% as dissatisfaction grows over his management of the economy and the conflict with Iran, based on an NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll of US adults published this morning.

The Xenix News Poll of Polls aggregate, incorporating the latest survey, currently shows Trump’s approval rating at an average of 38%, consistent with figures from recent months.

In the NBC/SurveyMonkey poll, carried out from March 30 to April 13, Trump’s approval for managing inflation and living expenses is only 32%, a drop from approximately 40% a year prior, with around half of Americans now expressing strong disapproval of his efforts on the matter.

The survey reveals that 29% of Americans consider the economy their primary concern, surpassing the 24% who cite threats to democracy.

https://xenixnews.comAt the same time, about two-thirds of Americans are critical of Trump’s management of the conflict with Iran, with 54% expressing strong disapproval. The survey, conducted while Trump declared a brief ceasefire, did not reveal a notable change in public sentiment after the announcement. According to the pollsters, the backing from individuals who identify as supporters of the MAGA movement continues to be strong, with 87% expressing approval of Trump’s approach to the war.

A 61% majority of Americans believe the US should refrain from any additional military intervention in Iran, while 16% advocate for continuing with airstrikes only and 23% suggest the US should explore options that include deploying ground forces.

The NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll took place online between March 30 and April 13, surveying 32,433 adults in the US, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.

Vice President JD Vance reaches Islamabad, Pakistan, for a meeting on April 11. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AP

Vice President JD Vance will participate in the upcoming Iran discussions in Pakistan alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House informed Xenix News.

This occurs even though President Donald Trump has stated that the vice president would not participate in the most recent discussions, explaining to MS Now that it was because of security issues. Trump’s remarks sparked uncertainty regarding which officials would attend the discussions in Islamabad, as the president stated that his “representatives” would arrive there tomorrow evening.

According to sources knowledgeable about Secret Service policy, the agency aims to keep Vance and the president from being in the same location simultaneously, not just during travel to the area due to the ongoing conflict and associated security threats, but also for domestic journeys.

Should Trump ultimately choose to visit Pakistan if a final agreement occurs, it’s probable that Vance would have to come back to the US beforehand.

The upcoming negotiations will take place over a week after Vance attended the initial round of discussions in Pakistan with Witkoff and Kushner. The negotiations concluded without an agreement to resolve the conflict.

In reaction to the mixed signals regarding the US delegation, a White House representative informed Xenix News: “situations evolved.”

US Vice President JD Vance and the speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Getty Images

We’ve been providing information that a second round of talks between the United States and Iran is anticipated to occur in Islamabad, Pakistan in the near future.

Here’s an overview of the delegations anticipated to be involved in the discussions representing each nation:

United States

JD Vance: The US vice president, previously skeptical about the Iran war, played a role in brokering the current two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, along with the recent truce between Israel and Lebanon, a senior administration official informed Xenix News. Last month, we noted that Iranian representatives chose to interact with Vance instead of other US officials.

Steve Witkoff: A prosperous real estate mogul, Witkoff has maintained a friendship with US President Donald Trump for many years. Together with Kushner, he assisted in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza and has also engaged in discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the conflict in Ukraine.

Jared Kushner: Kushner is the spouse of Trump’s daughter Ivanka. He acted as a primary negotiator for the Middle East during Trump’s initial term and established strong connections with regional leaders, informally advising administration officials on dealing with Arab leaders, Trump administration figures and sources close to Kushner informed Xenix News last year.

Iran

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf: Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian team in Pakistan, also serves as the speaker of Iran’s Parliament. A regime insider known for stifling opposition, Ghalibaf has become a crucial communicator with the Trump administration during the conflict.

Abbas Araghchi: As Iran’s foreign minister, Araghchi has been deeply involved in previous nuclear discussions with Western nations. Weeks prior to the US and Israel launching their assaults on Iran, Araghchi informed Xenix News that Tehran had “lost trust” in the US, yet he felt “confident” that Iran and the US could “reach an agreement” regarding Tehran’s nuclear program.

Ali Bagheri Kani: Kani is another crucial hardline negotiator who has played a significant role in past discussions with the US, particularly regarding nuclear negotiations.

Xenix News reports contributed by Lex Harvey, Kristen Holmes, Kylie Atwood, Stephen Collinson, Alayna Treene, and Frederik Pleitgen.

Officers maintain security at a checkpoint close to signage related to the US-Iran peace discussions in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 11. Farooq Naeem/AFP/Getty Images

Over the past weekend, representatives from the US and Iran convened in Islamabad for an extensive 21 hours of discussions, but ultimately departed Pakistan without an agreement to resolve the conflict.

US Vice President JD Vance pointed out that Iran’s unwillingness to give up its nuclear program was the main obstacle, whereas Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the chief Iranian negotiator, stated that the US did not earn the trust of the Iranian team.

As a new series of discussions is expected to start in the next few days, here’s an in-depth look at the events of last weekend:

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Vance reached Islamabad and had individual meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif before commencing the in-person discussions on Saturday afternoon.

A few hours into the discussions, specialists in economic, military, legal, and nuclear matters from both parties convened, according to Iran’s government.

In the early hours of Sunday morning local time, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency announced that the delegations had commenced a new phase of trilateral discussions, noting that considerable obstacles persisted.

Hours later, Vance conducted a news conference, during which he revealed that no agreement had been reached by the parties, despite what he described as “substantive discussions” and the US presenting its “final and best offer.”

In the meantime, Iran’s Tasnim attributed the failure to establish “a common framework and agreement” to “US overreach and ambitions.”

 Xenix News Laura Sharman, Lex Harvey, Betsy Klein, Sophia Saifi, Sophie Tanno, Issy Ronald, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Kevin Liptak, Tim Lister and Aida Karimi contributed to this reporting.

Tracking data indicates that no tankers have traversed the Strait of Hormuz today, marking Sunday as one of the most tranquil days in the waterway since the conflict started.

This comes after the announcement by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Saturday that the strait has been closed to traffic once more.

Earlier today, two sanctioned tankers transporting liquid petroleum gas were departing from the Persian Gulf when they were suddenly redirected by Iran’s military, as reported by the Iranian state-affiliated news outlet Tasnim.

Footage from the ship monitoring platform Marine Tracker displays numerous ships at anchor. These are shown by the tiny circles grouped on both sides of the strait. The other vessels navigated in circles to steer clear of the waterway.

A few small boats have been seen entering the channel, but they mostly include tugboats or vessels flying the Iranian flag.

President Donald Trump indicates that a US team is traveling to Pakistan for discussions with Iran, and the American group is being formed — however, there has been no official confirmation from Iran regarding the negotiations.

The state-linked Fars News Agency in Iran reported that a definitive decision regarding Iran’s participation in the second round of talks “has not been confirmed or dismissed.”

IRIB, the Iranian state-controlled broadcaster, additionally mentioned that Iranian officials have not yet confirmed Iran’s involvement in the discussions.

Fars cited “sources within Iran” as stating that the general perspective for discussions wasn’t “especially encouraging.” It mentioned that another source indicated “that while the US maritime blockade persists, Iran will not entertain a second meeting in Islamabad.”

Xenix News is unable to confirm the information shared by Fars; however, earlier Iranian sources informed us that an Iranian delegation is set to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday.

The semi-official news source Tasnim elaborated, stating on Sunday that “Iran does not have any plans at present to dispatch a negotiation team.”

Tasnim stated that discussions would not occur as long as the US maintains a maritime blockade on Iranian ports.