A viral clip from the first round of US-Iran peace talks in Switzerland fuelled online speculation that US Vice President JD Vance was snubbed by Qatar’s Prime Minister, after users claimed the video shows him "ignore" Vance in favour of greeting Pakistan’s Prime Minister. The Qatari PM though, dismissed the claims as “unfounded,” saying he and Vance had already spent hours together during the talks. The White House also rejected the narrative, pointing the finger at Iran for the rumours.
In posts racking up millions of views and reports, social media users claimed the viral video from the Lake Lucerne Summit is proof of a diplomatic slight, and that the Qatari leader had deliberately "ignored" Vance and chosen to greet Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif first.
Users called the moment "so embarassing" and that it showed America "is a laughing stock." Others cited the interaction as evidence of strained relations surrounding the US-Iran peace process, with some claiming it shows the "level of relations that the Trump administration has created."
The Qatari PM though, rejected the claims directly. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani described the “snub” narrative as “unfounded,” saying he and Vance had already spent hours together during the negotiations and continued to maintain a strong working relationship. He added that he greeted Sharif because he had not yet seen the Pakistani leader that day.
The White House has also pushed back on the speculation. Its Rapid Response account on X accused critics of promoting a false narrative and shared Al Thani’s comments via Al Jazeera, arguing the viral clip lacked the context.
A US official involved in the negotiations told Fox News that the speculation was being amplified by “foreign propaganda,” pointing the finger at Iranian state media for circulating the "snub rumours." He said that "the US delegation had just spent hours with the Qataris and there was no need to re-greet someone having just spent hours with."
Both Washington and Doha have denied that any diplomatic slight took place, arguing that the viral clip omits the wider context of the summit.
Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.
