US Vice President JD Vance said that Iran wants to reach a deal with Washington but cautioned that no one can be certain of Tehran’s intentions until an agreement is actually signed, as he warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would set off a chain reaction felt across the entire world.
Speaking to reporters, Vance said he believed Iran understood where America’s limits lay. “What I think is that the Iranians want to make a deal. Iranians recognise that a nuclear weapon is the red line for the United States of America,” he said. But he was careful not to claim victory before the finish line. “We’re not going to know until we’re actually putting pen to paper on signing a deal. I can’t say with confidence because I don’t know what’s in the mind of the other side.”
Vance was far less measured when it came to what the US would not accept. He said President Donald Trump had made clear that Washington remains ready to act. “We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon, so as President Donald Trump just told me, we’re locked and loaded. We don’t want to go down that pathway, but the President is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to.”
The stakes, Vance argued, reach well beyond the Middle East. “Iran would really be the first domino in what would set off a nuclear arms race all over the world. That’s very, very bad for the safety of our country,” he said.
The Vice President also cast doubt on whether Iran’s leadership is capable of speaking with one voice, suggesting internal divisions may be complicating the talks. “Maybe the Iranians aren’t quite clear in what direction they want to go. They are also just a fractured country,” he said.
Vance added that Washington is seeking a commitment that outlasts the current administration entirely. “We want to see not just the commitment to not have a nuclear weapon, but the commitment to work with us on a process to ensure that, not just now, not just when Donald Trump is POTUS, but years down the road, that the Iranians are not rebuilding that nuclear capability,” he said.
The remarks followed Trump’s disclosure earlier on Tuesday that the US had come within sixty minutes of launching fresh strikes on Iran, with naval warships armed and in position, before he stood down following appeals from the leaders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Trump said he was giving Tehran only “a limited period of time” to reach a nuclear agreement, warning the US “may have to give them another big hit” if talks break down.
