US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday firmly outlined Washington’s red lines as it negotiates with Iran over measures to ease tensions in the Middle East. Speaking to Fox News, Vance said that President Donald Trump has made US’ key demands clear, that Iran must hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium, which the US believes is being concealed in underground facilities.
Vance noted that although Iran maintains it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons, the United States insists on strict verification. He added that Trump’s broader goal is to ensure that Iran does not retain the capability to enrich uranium at levels that could be used for weapons development.
He categorically said that Iran can never possess nuclear weapons and that progress has been made in this regard during the key deliberation in Islamabad, hinting at more meetings in the offing with Iran in this regard.
“I wouldn't just say that things went wrong. I also think things went right. We made a lot of progress. They moved in our direction, which is why I think we would say that we had some good signs, but they didn't move far enough,” he told Fox News.
"Whether we have further conversations, whether we ultimately get to a deal, I really think the ball is in the Iranian court, because we put a lot on the table," Vance added.
US-Iran talks falter in first phase
On the first phase of marathon talks with Iran in Islamabad, Vance on Sunday said that discussions have made some progress, but a final agreement has not yet been reached.
Speaking to reporters, Vance described the meetings with the Iranian delegation as positive in tone. However, he made it clear that several major disagreements still remain between the two countries, preventing a complete breakthrough at this stage.
“We have been at it now for 21 hours and we have had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That's the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. I think that is bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the USA. They have chosen not to accept our terms,” he said.
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